Mass Effect: Attack of the Collectors
by Optimus524
Summary: It was been two years since the attack on Sovereign and Commander Shepard has not been seen since. But when he returned he discovers that his warnings have not been heard and human colonies are missing in the Terminus System. With no other option he is forced to join forces with an old enemy to combat this threat upon the galaxy that are the Reapers.
1. Prologue

On a space station in some unknown part of the galaxy was a middle-aged man in a fine suit and blue mechanical eyes in a chair overlooking a large sun. He was looking at several holographic consoles and he wasn't alone in the room.

Also staring at the sun from the windows was a black haired woman. "Shepard did everything right. More than we could've hoped for," she said.

The man in a suit nodded. "Commander Shepard uncovered the truth."

"…and still it's not enough."

He nodded again as he tapped the ash of his cigarette. "We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but you and he is under attack."

The woman then walked up to him as a woman handed him datapad. "But the sending him to fight geth. Geth! We both know they're not the real threat. The Reapers are still out there."

"And it's up to us to stop them," said the man shooting smoke out of his mouth.

"The Council will never trust Cerberus. They'll never accept our help. Even after everything and he has accomplished." She then turned to a holographic image of Shepard. "But Shepard… they'll follow him. He's a hero, a bloody icon. But he's just one man."

She looked back at the man, who snuffed out his cigarette. "If we lose Shepard, humanity might well follow."

"Then see to it that we don't lose him."

* * *

It had been one month since the Battle the Citadel in the Council sent him after geth instead of focusing his efforts on the Reapers.

"So the Council still dubious about the Reapers," said Shepard to a holographic image of Rick.

"Yes, and the Alliance is dubious as well," said Rick troubled. "They're sending ships to Ilos to investigate, but as Liara said the hologram has probably deep failed now."

"And they've got me hunting geth."

"They did just survive from a geth attack," Rick reminded. "Don't forget we did destroy all the ships during the Battle of the Citadel some managed to escape."

"How's Anderson doing?"

"Doing his best, you know what politics are like," said Rick. "And I've heard that you're not looking for geth."

"When investigating ship disappearances in the Terminus Systems so far we found nothing," said Shepard. Shepard looked at the clock and then back to Rick. "We should be then any moment now I need to get on duty."

"Right, contact me soon John," said Rick and his screen went blank.

* * *

The Normandy was now orbiting a planet with in the Terminus System.

"Disengaging FTL drives." Joker hit the console. "Emission sinks active. Board is green…" He glanced at the readout. "We are running silent."

"We're wasting our time." Pressly shook his head. "Four days searching up and down this sector, and we haven't found any sign of geth activity."

"Three ships went missing here in the past month. Something happened to them."

"My money's on slavers. The Terminus System is crawling with them."

"Picking up something on the long-range scanners." An ensign spoke up. "Unidentified vessel. Looks like a cruiser."

Joker checked the readout. "Doesn't match any known signatures."

"Cruiser is changing course. Now on intercept trajectory."

Pressly went to the screen. "Can't be. Stealth systems are engaged. There's no way a geth ship could—"

"It's not the geth." Joker shifted in his chair as his hands flew over the controls. "Brace for evasive manoeuvres!"

Suddenly a large burst of energy shot over them as Joker began to manoeuvre out of the way. However, one of the Normandy's wings got hit by the beam and seconds later there was a huge explosion writing Pressly's face.

Pressly then fell out of his seat and laid motionless on the floor.

"Pressly!" the ensign cried getting up, but then there was another explosion and she was killed to.

"Kinetic barriers down," said Joker as explosions happened all along the ship. "Multiple hull breaches. Weapons offline. Somebody get a fire out!"

Joker got a good view of the ship that attacked them and it wasn't like anything he had ever seen before. For starters the hull looked as if it was covered in rock and it had one huge cannon.

Suddenly the strain ship fired another shot and this time when right through the ship and that was followed by more shots.

* * *

Ashley was running through the ship define Shepard as explosions shot out in all directions. That's when she found him placing his helmet over his head.

"Shepard!"

"Distress beacon is ready for launch." Shepard's voice was calm.

"Will the Alliance get here in time?" Another shudder of the ship nearly knocked him off his feet.

Shepard helped her back up before grabbing a fire extinguisher. "The Alliance won't abandon us. We just need to hold on. Get everyone onto the escape shuttles."

She caught the fire extinguisher Shepard tossed her. "Joker's still in the cockpit. He won't abandon ship." Ashley shook her head. "I'm not leaving, either."

"I need you to get the crew onto the evac shuttles. I'll take care of Joker." Shepard gave her a shove towards the shuttles.

"John…"

"Ashley. Go." Shepard turned to look at him. "Now."

Ashley felt a chill go down her spine. "Aye, aye." She headed into the ship to help the crew.

Shepard then sounded the evacuation command and all the surviving crew members, humans and aliens rushed towards the escape pods.

"Everyone in! Go, go, go!" Ashley yelled.

Once she was sure that everyone had entered the escape as she entered into one as well. Seconds later they shot out from the Normandy as it headed straight towards the planet below.

* * *

The ship was breaking up around him. Shepard headed up the stairs and towards the helm. A look up showed him the planet they were soon going to crash into. Under other circumstances, he might have found the view beautiful.

Joker was still alive. Small miracles. "Come on, Joker! We have to get out of here!"

"No! I won't abandon the Normandy! I can still save her!"

"The Normandy's lost—" Shepard put a hand on his shoulder. "Going down with the ship won't change that."

Joker just that there for a moment. "Yeah… okay. Help me up." He then looked to the readouts his eyes widened. "They're coming around for another attack!"

The ship fired another beam practically shredding it in half. He grabbed Joker's arm, and cursed to himself when he felt the bone snap. Joker yelped. "Ah. Watch the arm!"

Unfortunately, they didn't really have time for him to be careful. He hauled Joker out of the chair and dragged him towards the escape pod. He'd only just managed to get Joker secured when another volley hit the ship. The Normandy shuddered, and Shepard was thrown back against the bulkhead.

Another volley, and the blast was between him and the escape pod. He saw Joker shaking his head desperately. "Commander!" The ship shuddered again, and he just barely managed to keep himself from being thrown into the void. "Shepard!"

Shepard met Joker's eyes, and then hit the button that launched the pod. And then a shudder sent him flying. Something hit the back of his suit. He could feel himself losing air. He tried desperately to fix the leak, and then he was gasping.

The universe went dark.


	2. Lazarus Project

When he opened his eyes Shepard saw a white ceiling above him and felt pain all over his body.

"There. On the monitor," said a female voice. "Something's wrong."

"He's reacting to outside the stimuli," said a gruff voice. "Showing an awareness of his surroundings." He then began to move his head get a better view and saw that equipment. "Oh my God Miranda. I think he's waking up."

Shepard's eyes then fell upon a black haired woman in a tight white outfit. He turned his head again and saw a blind middle-aged man looking over him.

"Damn it, Wilson! He's not ready yet," said one known as Miranda. "Give him the sedative!" She then looked down at him and he felt his heart rate beating twice as fast. "Shepard—don't try to move. Just lie still. Try to stay calm."

"Heart rate still climbing," said Wilson's voice. "Brain activities of the charts." He then heard beeping sound. "Stats pushing into the red zone. It's not working!"

"Another dose. Now!"

He saw Wilson operating some sort of machine and felt needles entering into his arm and suddenly he began to feel sleepy.

"Heart rate dropping. Stats falling back into normal range. That was too close. We almost lost him."

Miranda then looked over him. "I told your estimates were off. Run the numbers again."

Then everything went black again.

* * *

He heard alarms pounding his eardrums. "Wake up, Commander," said Miranda's voice. "Shepard, do you hear me? Get out of that bed now—this facility is under attack."

Shepard's eyes snapped open. The facility shook again. They were under fire. And he felt as if krogan had danced on top of him. Parts of him just felt weird. He rubbed his jaw, and felt a cut sting beneath his fingers. "Your scars aren't healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack."

He sat up, ribs aching, and caught sight of a window. Beyond it he could see weapon fire. He was in a hospital. Shepard swung around and put his feet on the floor. "There's a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!"

A moment later he was moving. "Grab the pistol and armour from the locker."

Shepard moved as fast as he could and made his way over to locker. As he placed on his army began to wonder whether he was and what was going on. This was not an Alliance hospital. So where the hell was he? Was the voice even real? He spoke aloud. "This pistol doesn't have a thermal clip."

"It's a med bay. We'll get you a clip from…" Her voice trailed off. "Damn it! Those canisters by the door are going to blow! Get behind cover!"

Some kind of medical equipment shielded him from the blast that conveniently blew the doors open. "Someone's hacking security trying to kill you. Look for a thermal clip for your pistol."

His crew must be here somewhere, probably in the thick of the fighting. He kept moving, grabbing a thermal clip as he went. He moved through a barricade. "Looks like they set up a barricade to try holding the mechs off. Shepard! Security mechs are closing in on your position. Take cover."

He dove behind a low wall as the mechs came in. Armour and a pistol, but little else. Fortunately, that should be enough. Except the pistol took three shots to put each mech down.

* * *

The crew of the station was fighting and dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't even get to them. For a moment, he considered trying to shoot through the window. "Don't waste time. I can't keep the mechs distracted for long."

Shepard out of the pistol could break through the window and it was already too late to save the people on the other side. The dead wore some sort of marking he didn't recognise. No familiar faces. No Alliance uniforms.

Ah, a grenade launcher. Well, that could solve a lot of problems. He applied rule seven to a group of mechs. "Take the elevator down one floor."

He kept moving, following the instructions of the voice. "You're doing…" Static interrupted the transmission. "—Shepard. Head to the…" More static. "Meet you…" The tone of the voice changed slightly as the message continued breaking up. "Read me? I've got… closing in… position."

* * *

An office, with computer logs. He played a few, and saw the voice connect to the woman. She spoke of reconstruction and bio-synthetic fusion and promising results. Shepard felt a slight chill as he realized she was talking about him. He shook his head, and caught sight of his reflection in a shiny surface. Well, no shit his scars weren't healed.

Another log, this one a male voice complaining about budgets. Enough credits to buy a frigate or two.

* * *

A civilian called for help. There was no way to get to the man in time, and Michael saw the heavy mech close in. He was no closer to figuring out what the conflict was. Another log, and the male voice spoke of Miranda. She was the project director. And it seemed he was the project. Shepard merely shook his head. What was going on?

* * *

There was someone. Under fire from the mechs, of course. Shepard moved in, giving the man some backup fire. The man gave him a startled look when Shepard moved into cover next to him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress."

"I just woke up. You probably know more than I do."

"Right. Sorry about that. I'm Jacob Taylor…" He paused to shoot a mech. "I've been stationed here for—"

"Hostiles detected." More mechs came in through the door on the opposite side of the opening.

"Damn it!" Jacob shot another mech. "Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda's got you running around. I'll fill you in, but we better get you to the shuttle first."

He was getting really tired of taking orders from people he didn't know. "I know this isn't the best time, but I'm sick of somebody around here when I don't know what's going on."

"Fair enough. I'll give you the quick version. You and your ship were attacked and destroyed. You were killed. Dead is dead can be when they brought you here. Our scientists have spent the last two years putting you back together. You've been comatose, or worse, that whole time. Welcome back to your life."

Two years? "That's… I'm having trouble wrapping my head around that."

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. I can imagine. The alliance officially declared you killed in action. The whole galaxy think you're dead. And if we don't go to those shuttles, they'll be right."

"Were there any other survivors from the Normandy?" Shepard asked shooting down the mechs.

"I'll what—you help me finish off these mechs, and I'll play Twenty Questions with you all day." Jacob fired a shot of his own. "Let's finish off these metal bastards. We're low on thermal clips, but I'm a biotic. Just give the order when you want me to hit them with the good stuff."

Jacob then used his biotic support one of the mechs towards him and released it so they would fall down to the next floor. Shepard then rose from his cover and shot the last few mechs with his pistols.

"Okay. I promised identity your questions. What you want to know?" Jacob put his pistol back into the holster.

Shepard asked about him and Miranda discover that Jacob had one serve the Alliance for about five years and was placed in charge of security. He also discovered that his injuries were very severe and that the Lazarus Project was designed to bring him back, but was sure that he was still him just with a few extra bits.

"The last thing I remember in the Normandy blowing up. Did anyone else make it?" Shepard asked.

"Just about everyone survived. A few servicemen from the lower decks can get out. Navigator Pressley was killed by an explosion. But everyone else, including non-Alliance crew—the asari Liara, and the quarrian—they made it out alive."

"Do you know what any of them are doing right now?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know, Commander," said Jacob honestly. "They've moved on. Left the Alliance. Could be anywhere."

"They were my team. If they knew I was alive, they'd come back."

"Maybe track them down after we get off the station. If we get off the station."

"When I first woke up someone named Miranda was talking to me over the radio. We lost contact just before I ran into you."

"Miranda Lawson is the station's ranking officer. She led the Lazarus team. It was her job to bring you back to life, no matter what. Should have guessed she'd try to save you. She's not about to give up on you now. You said you lost contact—could you tell me what happened?"

Shepard shrugged. "There was some gunfire and an explosion right before I lost her."

Jacob didn't look too concerned. "She knows how to take care of herself, but I hope she's okay."

"What's the quickest way to those shuttles?"

"Depends where the mechs are thickest. It's probably best if we—" Jacob was cut off by his comm unit crackling into life.

"Check. Check. Anyone on this frequency? Anybody still alive out there? Hello?"

"Wilson? This is Jacob. I'm here with Commander Shepard. Just took out a wave of mechs over in D Wing."

"Shepard's alive? How the hell…" Wilson's voice trailed off. "Never mind. You need to get him out of there. Get to the service tunnels and head for the network control room."

"Roger that, Wilson. Stay on this frequency." Jacob turned towards him.

Something about this all was off. "I think I remember a Wilson checking on me one time when I woke up…" Shepard frowned.

"That's him. He's the chief medical tech. Answers directly to Miranda. C'mon." Jacob gestured. "The service tunnels are this way."

* * *

Another log. Wilson's voice, confirmed what Jacob said about his recovery. He still couldn't believe it wonder what happened to Ashley and the others.

Their new guide led them right into a group of mechs. Shepard finished off the last one as Jacob got back on the comm unit. "Wilson? Find us another route out of here. Preferably one that doesn't lead into an enemy squad!"

"Just keep moving towards the control room. Don't get pinned down. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Jacob led them to server room B and a wounded man on the floor. Shepard looked him over. It was the man with the needle, from the time he'd woken before. And the man had been shot in the leg.

Shepard got med gel from a nearby emergency kit and applied it. From what Jacob told him his crew wasn't on the station and now he was fairly confident that this was an Alliance Station.

Wilson got back to his feet. "Thanks, Shepard. Never thought you'd save my life. Guess that makes us even now." He looked around. "I thought maybe I could shut down the security mechs. But whoever did this fried the whole system. Completely irreversible."

"We didn't ask what you were doing." Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Why do you even have security mech clearance? You were in the bio wing."

"Weren't you listening? I came here to try to fix this. Besides, I was shot! How do you explain that?" Wilson set his jaw defensively.

"You're all strangers to me," Shepard spoke up. It was already pretty obvious Wilson was up to no good. "Let's get somewhere safe, then we'll sort out whose fault it is."

"Right, Shepard." Jacob nodded. "We need to find Miranda first. We can't just leave her behind."

"Forget about Miranda." Wilson shook his head. "She was over in D wing. The mechs were all over that sector. There's no way she survived."

"A bunch of mechs won't drop Miranda. She's alive."

"Then where is she? Why haven't we heard from her?" Wilson raised an eyebrow. "There are only two possible explanations: she's either dead…" Wilson waved a hand. "Or she's a traitor!"

Shepard found that hard to believe. "Then why did she wake me up and warn me about the attack?"

"Okay, maybe she's not a traitor. But that doesn't change the facts. We're here, she's not. We need to save ourselves." Wilson nodded before turning to point. "The shuttle bay is only a few—" He was cut off by more mechs entering.

* * *

"Ok. We took'em down, but this is getting tense." Jacob put his pistol away again. "Shepard, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?"

"This isn't really the time, Jacob." Wilson immediately protested.

"We won't make it if he's expecting a shot in the back."

"If you want to piss off the boss, it's your ass, Jacob."

Jacob turned towards him. "The Lazurus Project, the program that rebuilt you…" Jacob took a deep breath. "It's funded and controlled by Cerberus."

Shepard glared at him. "You told me you were with the Alliance. I don't like being played for a sucker."

"I didn't lie to you, Commander. I was with the Alliance." Jacob hesitated a moment. "Before I joined Cerberus. The Alliance declared you dead. They gave up. Cerberus spent a fortune to bring you back." He took a couple steps towards Michael. "Look, I'd be suspicious too. But right now, we have to work together. I thought you deserved to know what's what. Once we're off the station, I'll take you to the Illusive Man. He'll explain everything. I promise."

Shepard frowned. "Illusive Man? Is he in charge of all this?"

"Yeah." Wilson nodded. "That's not his real name, of course. Nobody knows who he really is."

"It's a code name the Alliance used for him. It kinda stuck."

"I don't care what they did or what you say—I'm not working with terrorists!"

"You can tell it to the boss. But after we've saved our butts. We're almost at the shuttle."

* * *

Another log went over how much damage he'd sustained. He may not have been a full medic, but he had gone through N7 training. From the sound of things, he belonged in a coffin, not fighting his way through a station. Michael shook his head. Maybe Dr. Chakwas could explain it to him.

* * *

Wilson rushed forward to the shuttle bay door and started tapping the controls to get it open. "C'mon, through here. We're almost at the…" He blinked when he saw the woman waiting on the other side of the door. "Miranda! But, you were…"

Miranda shot him in the throat. "Dead?"

Shepard aimed his pistol at her as Jacob rushed over to Wilson's body. "What the hell are you doing?" Jacob asked.

"My job. Wilson betrayed us all."

"You should have taken him alive." Shepard kept his pistol trained on her. "See what he knew."

"Too risky." Miranda shook her head. "I've put too much time and effort into bringing you back to life to let you get killed now."

"You really think Wilson's capable of that?" Jacob turned towards her.

Miranda gave the corpse a pointed look. "Not anymore."

She made a good point. He lowered the pistol. "If you say so. What's our next step?"

"We get onto the shuttle and go. My boss wants to speak to you."

"You mean the Illusive Man? I know you work for Cerberus."

"Ah, Jacob. I should've known your conscience would get the better of you."

"Lying to the commander isn't the way to get him to join our cause."

"Well, since we're getting everything out in the open, is there anything else you want to ask before we go, Commander?"

"I've had enough of this station to last me a lifetime," said Shepard.

"Or two, in your case. Come on."


	3. Freedom's Progress

Shepard looked out the shuttle window and watch the space station disappeared from view.

"Before you meet with the Illusive Man, we need to ask a few questions to evaluate your condition." Miranda started pulling up her omnitool.

"Come on, Miranda. More tests? Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble. That has to be good enough." Jacob turned a little to face Miranda.

"It's been two years since the attack. The Illusive Man needs to know that Shepard's personality and memories are intact. Ask the questions."

"This is a waste of time. I feel as good as ever."

Miranda gave him an impatient look. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can be done. Start with personal history."

"Okay." Jacob pulled up his own omnitool. "Records show you were a colony kid. Lost your parents when slaves hit Mindoir. You enlisted and won a medal while fighting batarains in the Skyllian Blitz. Do you remember taking on some batarian slavers?"

He narrowed his eyes. "A lot of lives depended on me holding that position. I did what I had to."

"However you put it, it was damn impressive. I had friends who were there." He turned to the woman next to him. "Satisfied, Miranda?"

"Almost. Let's try something more recent."She looked down at her own omnitool. "Virmire, where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility. You had to leave one of your squad behind to die in the blast."

"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was killed in action. It was your call. Why did you leave him behind?"

Shepard glared at them. "I left a friend to die that day, and I didn't do it casually. But I had a save as many people as I could. Kaidan gave his life for the rest of the team. Without him, I could have stopped Saren. He died a hero."

"I understand, Commander," Jacob nodded. "And I wasn't judging your actions. Everybody at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed."

"Shepard, the think back to the Citadel, after the Alliance saved the Destiny Ascension, and you kill Saren. What happened next?"

"Humanity was offered a spot on the Council. I recommended Captain Anderson for the position."

"Yes, Captain Anderson is now Councillor Anderson. Though from what I hear, preferred life in the military."

Jacob shrugged. "Still, good to know that the human Councillor member isn't going to put politics ahead of defence."

"Your memory seems solid. There are other tests we really should run—" Miranda shook her head.

"Come on, Miranda." Jacob's self-preservation instinct appeared to be intact. "Enough with the quizzes. The memories are there, and I can vouch for Shepard's combat skills personally."

"I suppose you're right. We'll have to hope the Illusive Man accepts our little field test as evidence enough."

* * *

A full body holo unit for communication. Someone was trying to be impressive. The 'Illusive Man' was sitting in a chair, smoking what looked to be an actual cigarette. The backdrop was a star, smouldering in shades of blue and red. Michael made himself keep a straight face. "Commander Shepard." The

"Illusive Man. I thought we'd be meeting face-to-face." Shepard folded his arms.

"A necessary precaution. Not unusual for people who know what you and I know."

"From what I hear, I cost you a fortune," said Shepard raising an eyebrow. "Why'd you do it?"

"For the defence and preservation of humanity." He tapped ashes off the end of his cigarette. "I didn't spend two years and billions of credits bringing you back to serve as a common soldier. But humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence."

Well, he was right about that much at least. "The Reapers."

"Good to see your memory's still intact. How are you feeling?"

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You have to earn the right to ask me those kind of questions."

"Cerberus isn't as the evil you believe. You and I are on the same side; we did have different methods."

That was a tough pill to swallow, but they had much more important matters to discuss. "Cut to the chase. What are the Reapers doing that made you decide to bring me back?"

He stood. "We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack." His image walked forward. "While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies. We believe it's someone working for the Reapers. Just as Saren and the geth aided Sovereign." He gestured. "You've seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That's just one reason we chose you."

"Fighting a war doesn't seem like Cerberus. Why are you involved?"

"We are committed to the advancement and preservation of humanity. If the Reapers are targeting us, trying to wipe us out, Cerberus will stop them. If we wait for politicians or the Alliance to act…" He waved a hand. "No more human colonies will be left."

"You could have trained an entire army for what you spent to bring me back."

"You're unique," he said pointing his cigarette at him. "Not just in ability or what you've experienced, but what you represent. You stood for humanity at the key moment. You're more than a soldier—you're a symbol. And I don't know if the Reapers understand fear, but you killed one. They have to respect that."

Shepard folded his arms and looked directly at the Illusive Man's eyes. "If what you say is true… if the Reapers are behind this… I consider helping you."

"I'd be disappointed if you accepted any of this without seeing for yourself." He nodded. "I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted." He went back to his chair. "Miranda and Jacob will brief you."

Shepard is in exactly trusted them just yet. "Miranda killed Wilson in cold blood. Jacob's just a gun for hire. You expect me to trust them?"

"Wilson was one of our best agents. But he was a traitor. Miranda did exactly what I expected of her. And she save your life in more ways than one. Jacob's a soldier, one of the best. He's never fully trust me, but he's always been honest about it. You'll be fine with them… for now."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Is this a volunteer job, or am I being volunteered?"

"You always have a choice, Shepard. If you don't find any evidence we're both looking for, we can part ways. But first go to Freedom's Progress. Find any clues you can. Who's adopting the colonies? Do they have any connection to the Reapers? I brought you back. It's up to you to do the rest."

* * *

"The Illusive Man is very impressed with you." Miranda didn't look up from what she was doing. "I'm eager to see if you can live up to his expectations on this mission."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I can't have anyone disobeying my commands when we get there."

"I know who I report to. As long as you don't do anything to betray Cerberus, I'll follow your orders."

Shepard in exactly trust her, but he can deny that it wasn't for her he wouldn't be standing here. "I never got a chance to say how much I appreciate what the Lazarus Project did for me."

"I just hope it's worth it. A whole lot of people lost their lives on that station."

He had to work with this woman a while longer. He should probably make nice, and be diplomatic. "We have to work together, here. Your attitude isn't helping."

Her eyes narrowed just slightly. "I have the utmost respect for your abilities, Shepard. It's your motivations that concern me. I believe in what Cerberus stands for. Only time will tell if you prove to be an asset or a liability to our cause."

"I'd like to know more about the Lazarus Project from the person in charge."

"I wasn't in charge. The Illusive Man was. If I was running the show, we'd have done a few things differently."

"What would you have changed?"

"To start, I would have implanted you with some type of control chip, but the Illusive Man wouldn't allow it. He was afraid it might affect your personality—alter your character somehow. He wouldn't let us do anything that might limit your potential in any way."

Shepard was suddenly grateful for the Illusive Man. "Can't say I like the idea of being brought back to life control chip in my brain."

"The Illusive Man is taking an incredible risk with you. I just hope his gamble pays off."

Time to get to the point. He'd seen Jacob in action, but not her. "Tell me a little about yourself."

"Worried about my qualifications?" She arched an eyebrow. "I can crush a mech with my biotics or shoot its head off at 100 yards. Take your pick."

Shepard got the message. "It's obvious you're not interested in talking."

"We've got an assignment. We can talk about it, or we can do it."

* * *

"I'm glad the Illusive Man convinced you to join us, Commander." Jacob smiled when Shepard approached.

"I just want to find out what happened to those missing people. I still don't trust Cerberus," said Shepard.

"Noted." Jacob nodded. He hesitated a moment. "Do you trust me, Commander?"

He seen the man in action and he had been honest with him so far. "You're a good man, Jacob. But you might be working for the wrong people."

Jacob shrugged. "Maybe. But I thought the same when I joined the Alliance. That's why I'm here now."

Shepard was still curious about that. "You said you served in the Alliance?"

"Five years in total. Stationed all over the galaxy. Even spent a couple of years as a Corsair."

"I've never heard of the Corsairs?" Shepard folded his arms.

"It was an Alliance initiative. They hired independent starship captains and used them for missions that fell outside official Alliance jurisdiction. Technically, we weren't part of the Alliance. If we ever got caught, they could disavow any knowledge of us." Jacob shrugged. "We were supposed to be free from restrictions and rules, but there was still enough red tape to sink a cruiser. I finally just gave up."

Jacob sounded a lot like Garrus. "Why did you join Cerberus?"

"I guess I just got tired of never making a difference. So much of what we did in the Alliance seemed pointless. I thought things would change after the attack on the Citadel. Humanity was finally invited to join the Council. But nothing changed. Politics. Bureaucracy. Same bullshit, different leaders." Jacob gestured. "Cerberus is different. When colonies go missing, we don't commission a team to write a report to figure out what the hell to do about it. We just go and find out."

* * *

"We should be there shortly, Shepard. The Illusive Man put us under your command. Do you have any orders?" Miranda shifted slightly in her seat.

"Our first priority here is to look for survivors."

"That's unlikely, Commander," said Miranda. "No one was left at the other colonies. They were completely deserted."

"Be nice to find somebody." Jacob sighed. "Anything's better than another ghost town."

* * *

Ghost town was the right of it. Jacob shook his head as they walked through another building. "Looks like everyone just got up and left in the middle of dinner."

"Strange." Miranda looked around. "No bodies. No structural damage. No signs of battle."

Shepard was about to respond when he saw the first mech. He made a frustrated sound when the mechs started moving towards them, aiming their weapons. "I'm really getting sick of these things."

* * *

They opened a door to find a group of quarians. Who immediately started pointing guns at them. "Stop right there!" the one in the lead said.

Shepard was about to calm them down when he heard a familiar voice. "Prazza!" Tali rushed forward. "You said you'd let me handle this! Wait…" She went still when she caught sight of him. "Shepard?"

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives!" said Prazza.

"Put those weapons down!" Tali held up a hand. He gestured for Jacob and Miranda to do the same thing, lowering his own weapon. Tali turned back towards him. "Shepard? Is that…" She gave a small shake of her head. "You're alive?"

"Remember when I gave you that geth data, Tali?" No one knew about that but the two of them. "Did it help you complete your Pilgrimage?"

Tali visibly relaxed. "Yes, it did. Prazza, weapons down. This is definitely Commander Shepard."

Prazza finally obeyed. "Why is your old commander working for Cerberus?"

"I don't know." Tali shook her head. "Maybe we should ask."

"I nearly died, Tali. Cerberus spent two years rebuilding me. They want me to investigate attacks on human colonies."

"Likely story," said Prazza crossing his arms. "No organisation would commit so many resources to bring back one soldier."

Tali turned on him. "You haven't seen Shepard in action, Prazza. Trust me. It was money well spent." She then looked at him. "Perhaps we can work together. We're here looking for a young quarian named Veetor. He was here on Pilgrimage?"

Shepard frowned. "Isn't that a little strange? A quarian visiting a human colony?"

"Quarians can choose where they go on Pilgrimage. Veetor like the idea of helping small settlement. He was always…" She then paused. "Nervous in crowds."

"She means he was unstable," Veetor explained. "Combine that with damage to his suit CO2 scrubbers and an infection from an open-air exposure, and he's likely delirious."

"When he saw us landing, he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved."

Shepard nodded. "Veetor's the only one who can tell us what happened here. We should work together to find him."

Tali nodded. "Good idea. You'll need two teams to get past the drones, anyway."

"Now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza took a step forward.

"No, Prazza, you're working for me. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship." Tali turned back towards Shepard and began giving instructions. He couldn't help but feel a small twinge of pride seeing her take command. "Head for the warehouse through the centre of the colony. We'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path."

Shepard nodded. "Make sure to keep in radio contact."

"Will do. Good luck, Shepard. Whatever happens…" She hesitated a moment. "It's good to have you back."

* * *

Jacob and Miranda certainly knew their way around the battlefield. They were most of the way to their destination when Tali's voice came over the radio again. "Shepard. Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead. I told them to wait, but they wouldn't listen! They want to find Veetor and take him away before you get here!"

"We should have expected this," said Miranda.

"Come on! We can still catch them," said Jacob.

* * *

They had just arrived in time to see a heavy mech tearing apart Prazza's squad apart. They try to fight back, but it was clear they didn't have the proper training. Shepard hope that Tali got the rest of the quarians to safety.

Jacob made a frustrated noise. "That mech's got heavy armor playing. Those quarians never stood a chance."

"Miranda, get overload it's shields. Jacob, draw its attention." Shepard yanked the sniper rifle out of his harness. He hadn't had a chance to spec it out yet, but hopefully it would serve.

"This is going to be one tough son-of-a-bitch to take down." Miranda took her own position. She called up her omnitool to try overloading the shields.

As soon as the shields sparked, Michael took aim at the joint just above its heavy weapon. The gun exploded, dealing additional damage to the mech. Jacob hurled one of the crates at it as it started to turn towards Michael. As soon as it turned back towards Jacob, Michael came out of cover and lined up another shot. This one caught the mech in its primary control unit. It twitched and shuddered before exploding.

He headed in to check on Tali. She nodded up at him from where she was tending to one of the survivors. "This is your chance to go find Veetor while I tend to the wounded, Shepard."

"You're good?" He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to nod before continuing on.

* * *

"Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no no." The quarian in front of the screens was chanting to himself.

He tried a couple times to get the quarian's attention. Veetor kept working on the system in front of him. Michael sighed, and put a shot in one of the screens. Veetor went still before standing and turning to face them. "You're…" He tilted his head. "Not one of them. You're human. They…" He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "They didn't find you?"

"Who didn't find us? Miranda asked.

"The…" Veetor gestured. "The monsters. The swarms. They took everyone."

Shepard took a step forward. "We're not survivors, Veetor. We just got here."

"You don't know. You didn't see. But I see everything." Veetor turned back to the system and called up a video. They watched as bugs swarmed around, and strange looking beings began loading unconscious or otherwise paralyzed humans into some kind of organic looking pod.

"Looks like security footage. He must've pieced it together manually." Miranda leaned forward.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob shook his head.

"My god." Miranda stepped back. "I think it's a Collector."

Shepard heard about the Collectors before, but there were little more than rumours. From what he had heard they were an insect like lifeform that very rarely show themselves in fact no one even knew where the home planet was.

"I thought the Collectors kept to themselves," Shepard frowned.

"They usually work through intermediaries, like slavers or hired mercenaries. If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies." Miranda folded her arms.

Jacob nodded. "The Collectors have advanced technology. They could have a weapon that disables an entire settlement at once."

"The seeker swarms." Veetor shivered. "No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away."

He questioned Veetor a little more, then sighed. They had more information, but still no idea what was going on. He nodded to Veetor. "We appreciate what you told us. You were very helpful."

Veetor activated his omni-tool. "I studied them. The swarms. I recorded them with my omni-tool. Lots of readings. Electro-magnetic. Dark energy."

Shepard saw Miranda's eyes practically light up. "We need to get this data to the Illusive Man. Grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."

The door behind them opened. Tali entered, shaking her head. "What? Veetor is injured! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!"

"We won't hurt him." Jacob assured. "We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll be returned unharmed."

Miranda shook her head at Tali. "Your people tried to betray us once already. If we give him to you, we'll never get the intel we need."

He was pretty sure Tali was rolling her eyes. "Prazza was an idiot, and he and his men paid for it. You're welcome to take Veetor's omni-tool data, but please. Just let me take him."

"You don't have to take Veetor and go. We could work together. Just like old times," Shepard offered.

"I want to, but I can't." Tali sighed. "I've got a mission of my own. It's too important for me to abandon, even for you. When it's over, and I'm still alive, we'll see what happens."

"That sounds dangerous? What are you doing?"

"I don't think service needs to hear about it," she said looking to Miranda and Jacob. "But it's in geth space. That should tell you how important it is."

"He's traumatized, and he needs medical care. Tali will give us the omni-tool data and take him to the flotilla." Shepard waited to see if Miranda would obey the instruction.

Though her face was clearly reluctant, she nodded. "Understood, Commander."

"Thank you, Shepard. I'm glad you're still the one giving the orders. Good luck out there. If I find anything that can help you, I'll let you know."

"Take care of yourself, Tali." He nodded to her.

"We're ready for pickup," said Jacob on the comm.

Shepard looked back at the images of the Collectors and wondered what he gotten himself into this time.

* * *

"Shepard. Good work on Freedom's Progress." Illusive Man was still smoking. "The quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history. You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results."

"You ever think about playing nice what in a while?" Shepard asked raising an eyebrow.

"Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when someone already perceives you as a threat. But more importantly, you confirm the Collectors are behind the abductions."

Shepard folded his arms. "Why do I get the feeling you knew about them already?"

"I had my suspicions, but I needed proof," he admitted. "The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather something unimportant items or specimens. Usually exchange for the technology. When the transition to complete, they disappear quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 relay. Until now, we've had no direct aggression by the Collectors."

The Illusive Man filled him in on the Collectors, and made a few mental notes about what to confirm independently. He clearly wasn't going to tell him anymore than what he felt was necessary. "You're holding something back. How do you know the Reapers are involved?"

"The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reapers threat died with Sovereign. You and I know better. I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."

"If this is a war, I'll need an army. Or a really good team."

"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them." He nodded. "Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader. I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."

"Keep your list. I want people I trust." Shepard narrowed his eyes. The last thing he needed was the head of Cerberus handpicking goon squad. "The ones who helped me stop Saren and the geth."

"That was two years ago, Commander. Most of them have moved on…" He shrugged. "Or their allegiances have changed."

He already knew that Tali was out, but what of the others? "Where's Ashley Williams?"

"She's still with the Alliance. Promoted, I believe. Her file is surprisingly well-classified."

Hackett or Anderson would know. He needed to contact them for other reasons, but Hackett and Anderson would have kept track of someone like Ashley. "Where's Urdnot Wrex?"

"He returned to Tuchanka and he hasn't gone off-world in over a year. He tried to unite the krogan clans."

That surprised Shepard, because the last time he spoke to Wrex he said he was done helping the krogan. "Where's Garrus Vakarian?"

"The turian disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Even we haven't been able to locate him."

"Where's Liara T'Soni?"

"He's on Illium. My sources say that she is working for the Shadow Broker. If so, she can't be trusted."

That surprised Shepard even more than Wrex, because he was positive that she would have tried to find more proof on the Reapers. "Okay, I get it. They're not available." The

"You're a leader, Shepard. You'll get who you need."

"You worry about the Collectors. I'll make sure my team's ready." And that said team met his standards.

"Good. Two things before you go." He took a drag from his cigarette. "First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counteract the Collector's paralyzing seeker swarms."

Salarians. He thought that his crew would all be humans. "Sounds good. And what else?"

"I've found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best." He leaned back in his chair. "Someone you can trust." He hit the toggle to end the communication.

Shepard had just started to turn around when he heard a familiar voice."Hey, Commander. Just like old times, huh?"

He turned and found Joker standing there.

* * *

Ashley looked down at the datapad before looking back up at Lieutenant Commander Rick Ryder. "Shepard's alive?"

"That's what the rumor said." Rick sighed. "Alive and working with Cerberus."

"No." Ashley shook her head and tossed the datapad away. As much as she wanted to hope that somehow… If John was alive, he'd have contacted her by now. And there was no way John would work with a group like Cerberus. John was a lot of things, but a human supremacist was definitely not one of them. He'd proved that many times.

"I know how you feel," said Rick. "Believe me I find it hard to believe as well and there hasn't been anything concrete. Besides it sounds a little far-fetched, a pro-alien joining a pro-human terrorist organisation."

"There's no way Shepard would join a bunch of terrorists, sir," said Ashley firmly.

"Unless they gave them a good reason," said Rick. "Because according to the latest intel John Shepard is alive and working with Cerberus. That he was seen at the colony of Freedom's Progress not long after it went dead."

"I've got some mixed feelings about that," said Ashley.

"I imagine," Rick nodded. "But at the moment were jumping to conclusions I would rather if we had more solid information."


	4. Normandy SR-2

Anderson had just received a message from Tali'zorah, who confirmed the rumours of both Shepard being alive and him working for Cerberus. However, it seemed as if he hasn't changed at Cerberus wanted to bring him back for some reason.

He took a deep breath before calling up his VI. "Connect me with Admiral Hackett."

* * *

"I can't believe it's you Joker." Shepard shook his head as he followed the pilot down the corridor.

"Look who's talking." Joker glanced over his shoulder at him. "I saw you get spaced."

"Got lucky, with a lot of strings attached." He caught another glimpse of his reflection and sighed. His scars weren't too bad, but it did make him uneasy. "How'd you get here?"

"It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone." Joker turned down another corridor. "Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded." He led Shepard through yet another office festooned with that stupid logo. "The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus."

He raised an eyebrow. "You really trust the Illusive Man?"

"I don't trust anyone who makes more than I do." Joker shrugged. "But they aren't all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly—" He came to a stop in front of some windows. "And then there's this." He pointed. "They only told me last night."

Shepard stared at the familiar silhouette. A frigate with the Cerberus logo. It was an exact copy of the Normandy, but this one was twice the size.

"It's good to be home, huh, Commander?" Joker grinned.

"I guess we'll have to give her a name."

* * *

The interior of the ship looked like someone had taken the old Normandy and overfed it for a few months. Miranda and Jacob were a pace behind him. He paused at the entrance to the command centre.

"Welcome aboard the new Normandy, Commander." Jacob gestured.

Miranda began talking. "I've been looking over the dossiers. I'd strongly recommend starting by acquiring Mordin Solus, the salarian professor on Omega." Which was probably why they were currently sitting within spitting distance of Omega. "We know the Collectors use some type of advanced technology to immobilize their victims. We'll need him to develop a countermeasure to protect us."

Shepard nodded. "Without that countermeasure, we'll be helpless if we run into the Collectors."

A new voice chimed in. "Acquiring Professor Solus seemed like the most logical place to start."

"Who are you?" He glanced around.

An abstract blue hologram popped up from a nearby display. "I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew like to refer to me as EDI."

Shepard folded his arms. "Helmsman aren't happy when someone takes control of a ship away from them. Especially Joker."

"I do not helm the ship. Mr. Moreau's talent will not go to waste," said the AI. "During combat, I operate the electronic warfare suites. Beyond that, I cannot interfere with the ship's systems. I observe an offer analysis and advice. Nothing more."

Shepard turned to look at Miranda and Jacob. "I'm guessing it takes more than just the three of us plus Joker to fly the ship."

"The Normandy has a full crew," Miranda assured. "They're at their stations waiting your orders."

"Final preparations for takeoff are complete, Commander," said Joker's voice over the comm. "When you're ready to go, just pick a destination from the galaxy map in the CIC and I'll plot a course."

"Jacob and I should return to our posts. Come find us if you have any questions." Miranda walked away.

Jacob, however, saluted first.

* * *

He soon discover that he had a yeoman. A cute little redhead psychologist named Kelly Chambers. She assured Shepard that Cerberus didn't hate aliens they just preferred humans. Shepard, however did not trust them and made his way to the only person he trusted on the ship.

"Can you believe this, Commander?" Joker swirled around in his chair. "It's my baby, better than new. It fits me like a glove. And leather seats. Military may set the hardware standard, but on a first-gen frigate they could care less if the seats breath. Civilian sector comfort by design."

The blue hologram popped up from a nearby console. "The reproduction is not intended to be perfect, Mr. Moreau. Seamless improvements were made."

Joker sighed. "And there's the downside. I liked the Normandy when she was beautiful and quiet. Now she's got this thing I don't want to talk about. It's like ship cancer."

"It's not the same, Joker. There's nothing here that was even part of the real Normandy."

"There's us. I have to take what I can get. The last two years sucked." Joker leaned back in the seat. "You'll see. Even if an AI is spying on us, no way they'll invest this much just to screw us over. It'll be better than the old days."

"I hope so. I died," Shepard reminded.

* * *

Shepard looked around the captain's quarters. There was a tank full of water on one wall. Why bow was that he had no idea. His own personal refresher. State of the art music system. There was even a Cabinet where one could put model ships on.

Part of him wanted the contact his friend and the Alliance, but he knew that they were listening devices all around him and it would be too dangerous to contact anyone before he knew where he stood with Cerberus.

He, however, did know one thing if Ashley ever found out that he was alive she was going to kill. Probably twice for not telling her that he was alive and for working for Cerberus. He also wondered how Rick was doing and where he stood on the Alliance these days.

Shepard made his way down to the engine room and found two engineers, a young man and woman. The young man turned and just stared at him flabbergasted.

"You came all the way down here to see us?" he stared.

"You're speaking to a commanding officer," the woman reminded saluting.

Shepard merely smiled. "I'm touring the ship, getting to know my crew."

"I'm engineer Ken Donnelly, handling the power control systems," said the young man. "This is Gabby."

"That engineer Gabrielle Daniels, actually," the woman corrected. "I'm responsible for the propulsion systems."

"What can we do for you, Commander?" Kenneth asked.

"Are you set up okay down here?" Shepard asked.

Kenneth shrugged. "We can't complain. I just wish it didn't take so long to cover the FBA arrays—"

"Kenneth, you're complaining," Gabby pointed out.

"What problems are you having?" Shepard asked.

"When they upgraded the Normandy design, they got a bit sloppy with the FBA couplings," Kenneth continued. "I won't bore you with tech, but there is an array of attenuators in the primary transfer system that channels the field bleed—"

Gabby rolled her eyes and can clearly tell that Shepard had no idea what he was talking about. "Kenneth, you're boring the Commander with tech."

She then turned to Shepard and simplified things by saying that they needed T6-FBA couplings. The only problem was that at certain model was disused and the only place they could locate one was in the Omega markets. Shepard assured that he would look out for one.

"Where did you receiver training?" Shepard asked.

"Both Gabby and I started in the Alliance, serving on the SSV Perugia," said Kenneth.

"She flew in the first wave at the Battle of the Citadel. We saw Sovereign first-hand," said Gabby.

They served in the Alliance he had a mini expecting this. "Why did you leave the Perugia?"

"After you died, Anderson lost political clout. The Council backslid on the Reaper menace."

"They discounted Sovereign as an isolated threat, as a single–"

"Which was bullshit!" said Kenneth firmly. "They said your warnings of a great danger were mistaken or delusional."

"We lost respect for Alliance leadership," Gabby sighed. "We need to fight the real enemy, and only Cerberus seem to be doing that."

Shepard asked the more questions discovered that Kenneth went very outspoken against the Alliance about his warnings, if he had been a good engineer he would have been charged for insubordination. Gabby joined up mainly because the two of them have been partners ever since they graduated from the Academy.

"Carry on," said Sheppard only made his way out of engineering.

Just before the doors closed behind him he heard Kenneth saying, "I'm a Shepard came down to see us."

"I told you he would," had Gabby's voice.

* * *

Shepard then went off to see Miranda, who had taken a station on the XO Office.

"Commander. What can I do for you?" she asked looking up from her desk.

"You have a minute, Miranda?"

"No doubt you've got a lot of questions," said Miranda. "Cerberus isn't as evil as most people believe. If I can help allay any of your concerns, I'd be happy to do so. So, would you like to know?"

Shepard then began to ask a bit more questions about Cerberus like how they were funded, how they operate and what their goal was. The answers she gave him made him slightly uneasy, even Miranda didn't know much about the Illusive Man's background, they had no government oversight and they had several different branches in both politics, military and scientific.

He suddenly got a good view of Cerberus, but he knew very little about Miranda. "Tell me about yourself, Miranda."

"I guess that's fair, I've spent last two years learning everything there is to know about you," said Miranda getting to a feet. "Well, you should probably know that I've had extensive genetic modifications. Not my decision, but I make the most of it. It's one of the reasons the Illusive Man handpicked me. I'm very good at just about anything I choose to do."

"You certainly don't lack for confidence," Shepard noted.

"It's just a fact. My reflexes, my strengths, even my looks—they're all designed to give me an edge. No point in hiding from it. It's the reason I'm trusted to oversee the most dangerous, risky, and technically demanding operations Cerberus undertakes. And it's why I was assigned to you. It's my job to make sure you succeed, Shepard."

"What level of genetic modification are we talking about?"

"It's very thorough. Physically, I'm superior in many ways. I heal quickly and I'm likely to live half again as long as the average human. My biotics abilities are also very advanced… for a human. At that some of the best training and education money can buy and, well, it's pretty impressive, really."

"Sounds like you were designed to be perfect."

Miranda shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm not. I'm still human, Shepard. I make mistakes like everyone else. And when I do, the consequences are severe. Everyone expects a lot from someone with my… abilities."

Shepard could tell that she wasn't exactly happy to be genetically altered and he was convinced that she was a liability. "Thanks for the information, Miranda. I'll talk to you later."

"Of course, Commander," said Miranda sitting back at her desk. "Whatever you need."

* * *

Shepard made his way to the mess hall and found the mess sergeant. He was certainly quite a character. Shepard in question his abilities, but he would have preferred that the man cleaning the toilets didn't make the food.

"Commander Shepard." He heard the familiar voice as soon as he walked into sickbay. "I watched the Normandy crumble with you on board. It's good to see you alive."

"I'm shocked. You're serving on a Cerberus vessel now?" he stared.

"Surprising, even to me," Doctor Chakwas nodded. "Yet, here I am." She then looked at him with a slight concerned look. "The kind of trauma you endured would've changed most people, but not you, I see. Welcome back, Shepard."

They chatted for a moment before and she said that she couldn't live without flying on a proper warship rather than being stuck in a medical bay on Mars. She also made it quite firm that she didn't work for Cerberus but for him and she agreed with him that Cerberus couldn't be trusted.

* * *

Shepard then went to the armoury to see how Jacob was settling in. The man had been put in charge and organising their weapons.

He saluted when he saw him approach. "Commander. There hasn't been time to really settle in and take stock. I want to say that working with you is a great opportunity to do something that matters. It's a privilege to serve on the Normandy, Commander."

"You may change your tune if we end up like the original Normandy," said Shepard leaning back on the table.

"Maybe. As long as the Illusive Man walks his talk, and you do the same, I'll do my best to make sure we succeed. That's been the condition for my service so far. I have issues with certain actions Cerberus has taken in the past."

Shepard took note that Jacob understood why Cerberus has been named a terrorist organisation and acknowledge their unethical projects. "I'm looking forward to working with you Mr. Taylor."

"Likewise, Commander. Let me know if you need anything."

* * *

Ashley smiled when she recognised the name on the communication unit, and immediately hit the button. "Tali."

"Ashley, I need you to sit down."

"Tali, I am sitting." Ashley raised an eyebrow at the quarian.

She took a deep breath. "Shepard's alive."

Her eyes widened as she stared at Tali through the monitor. "What?"

"He was on Freedom's Progress, and he…"

"It's not true." Ashley shook her head.

"Ash—"

"I heard that rumour too. It's just a rumour. You know—"

"I saw him, Ashely." Tali sighed. "I spoke to him. And he was accompanied by two members of Cerberus—"

"No!" Ashley shook her head. "Shepard would never—"

"It was him, Kaidan—"

"This isn't funny, Tali. It's sick." Ashley shook her head.

"Ash—"

"Shepard's dead!"

"He—"

"He's dead!" Ashley hit the button to disconnect the signal. Tali almost immediately called again, and she set her VI to ignore it. Her hands were shaking when she stood up.

She went to the window, looking out at the stars. Of all the people to…How could Tali have fallen for an impersonation? She and Shepard had spoken often enough. She sighed. Or maybe she was just the victim of wishful thinking. Shepard had practically adopted Tali. Losing him devastated her as much as a devastated her.

And Cerberus would use something like that against them. All Shepard had done, and Cerberus would dare use his name to… She shook her head, and folded her arms before leaning her forehead against the window.

The last time he'd heard from Garrus had been five months ago. The turian had left the Citadel after he'd quit Spectre training. It was hard trying to keep in touch with Liara when they really couldn't tell each other anything they were doing. And he hadn't spoken to Joker since Joker had quit the Alliance. Without Shepard, it had all just fallen apart.

Anderson had been trying tightly to find proof of Reapers, but that was easier said than done. Despite being part of the Council he was unable to convince the Council and the Alliance of the truth. Everything Shepard had worked for was being destroyed and how could she buy these rumours of his survival. More than two years since Shepard had failed to follow Joker out of the escape pod, and here he was, pining like a teenager. Shepard would have contacted her, if he'd somehow survived.

He actually jumped a little when the comm unit beeped again. He opened the channel. "Councillor Anderson…"


	5. Archangel

They soon docked at Omega, was a huge space station carved out of a meteor. Shepard only new the place by reputation, it housed criminals, terrorists, and malcontents for thousands of years. Basically it was the Grand Central for crime in the Terminus System.

They had practically exited from the airlock when an eager salarian greeted them. "Ah! Welcome to Omega! You're new here, aren't you? I can always tell. Allow me to—" He halted as a batarian approached. "Oh…" He swallowed nervously. "Hello, Moklan! I was just—"

"Leave, Fargut. Now." The batarian gestured.

"Of course, Moklan! Whatever she wants!" Fargut then quickly scampered away.

"Blasted scavengers. Welcome to Omega…" All four of the batarian's eyes narrowed. "Shepard."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You know who I am?"

"Of course. We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. You're not as subtle as you think." Moklan looked him over. "Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself."

"The attitude. I'm not here to cause problems for Omega." Of course you can say for Omega causing problems against him.

"Think explode around you, Shepard. You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you." The batarian jerked his head towards the door. "Afterlife. Now." He walked away.

Shepard rolled his eyes. EDI's voice came over the comm. "I'm receiving quarantine warnings about the slums where Dr. Mordin Solus runs the clinic. Anticipate resistance at the transport station. I have also accessed messages between mercenary groups regarding plans to deal with Archangel. There's a recruiting station at Afterlife that may have more information on him."

"Thanks, EDI."

* * *

Zaeed Massani was beating up a batarian while he waited. The bataraib looked to Shepard with a pleading look. "Please… you have to help me."

Zaeed then punched him again. "No one said you could talk, jackass."

"You Zaeed Massani?" Shepard asked.

The man turned, and looked back at him with mismatched eyes his face for scars. "Yeah. That's me. You must be Commander Shepard. I hear we have a galaxy to save."

He glanced down at the batarian. "My contact told me we're picking up one man. Not two."

"Batarian delinquent. Pissed off someone rich enough to hire me to go after him. And for my 'bring 'em in alive' rates, even." The prisoner tried to plead, and Zaeed kicked him in the face. "Tried to lead me on a chase all over the Systems. He should have known better. These people always run to Omega."

"I assume you've been briefed?" He'd heard the name Massani before, though he hadn't gotten a lot of details.

"I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me everything I needed to know."

Two of them then shook hands. "Good to have you, Zaeed. We have a lot to do."

Zaeed nodded. "That's what they tell me. I assume the Illusive Man told you about our arrangement?"

So there was a catch. "No. I guess he decided to leave that information out of the dossier."

Zaeed nodded as if he expected as much. "Good thing I asked. Pick the permission a little while back, just before I signed on with Cerberus. Thought you might be interested. You heard the name Vido Santiago?" Shepard shook his head. "He's the head of the Blue Suns. Runs the whole organisation. Seems he's recently captured an Eldell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and is using their work for slave labour. The company wants it dealt with."

"I'll make sure that gets done," Shepard assured.

"Good. Get out of the way so we can concentrate on being big goddamn heroes."

The batarian then make a break for it, but he didn't get far before Zaeed shot him in leg. "I better turn this thing in before it starts to stink. I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done."

Zaeed then began dragging the batarian away.

* * *

They then collided with a group of batarian stepped into his path. "What are you looking at?"

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Don't you have something better to do than pick a fight with people you don't know?"

"No. Just want to get in my face."

Shepard then pulled out his pistol. "You see my gun. Do you really want to do this?"

"I…" All the belligerence fled the man. "Fine. You're off the hook. For now. See you around."

He shook his head, holstered his sidearm, and headed into the bar.

* * *

He had heard rumours of Aria, who was commonly known as the Pirate Queen. "That's close enough," she said as he reached the top of her little platform.

And then he had guns pointed at him again. Miranda and Jacob both drew their own sidearms, while the rest of Aria's goons pointed weapons at them. He didn't bother drawing his pistol. If Aria was going to shoot him, she never would have let him get this close to her. This was a show. Sure enough, at a small gesture from her, the guards stowed their weapons. "Stand still." A batarian ran a scanner over him.

Shepard glanced down at his sidearm. "If you're looking for weapons, you're not doing a very good job."

"Can't be too careful with dead Spectres." Aria didn't turn around. "That could be anyone wearing your face."

He walked past the batarian. "I was told you're the person to talk to if I have questions."

"They're clean." The batarian's voice sounded almost grudging.

"Depends on the questions." She finally turned around to face him.

"You run Omega?" He raised an eyebrow.

Aria laughed, turned, spread her arms in a rather histrionic gesture, and said, "I am Omega." She even managed to get some reverberation into her voice. She turned back to him. "But you need more. Everyone needs more something. And they all come to me. I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule." She sat down. "Don't fuck with Aria."

"I like it. Easy to remember."

"If you forget, someone will remind you," he said gesturing to a guards.

"And then I toss your sorry ass out of the nearest airlock," said a bata rian.

She then gestured for him to sit. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for a couple people. Professor Mordin Solus is one."

"The salarian doctor? Last I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone." She leaned back a little. "I always liked Mordin. He's as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"Used to be part of the Salarain Special Task Group. He's brilliant and dangerous. Just don't get them talking. He never shuts up." She turned and looked at him. "If you really need to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they'll let you in, of course."

"I'm also trying to track down an 'Archangel'."

She smirked. "You and half of Omega. You want him dead, too?"

Shepard blinked. "Why's everyone after him?"

"He thinks he's fighting on the side of good. There is no good side to Omega. Everything he does pisses someone off. It's catching up to him."

"Just the kind of guy I'm looking for."

"Really? Well, aren't you interesting?" Aria gave him a contemplative look. "You're going to make some enemies teaming up with Archangel." Well, good. There was still a little room at the bottom of the list. "That's assuming you can get to him. He's in a bit of trouble right now."

"What kind of trouble?"

"The local merc groups have joined forces are take him down. They've him cornered, but it sounds like they're having trouble finishing him off. They've started hiring anyone with a gun to help them."

"Sounds like might be our ticket in," said Jacob.

"They're using a private room for recruiting… just over there," she gestured. "I'm sure they'll sign you up."

"What can you tell me about Archangel?"

"Not as much as I'd like. He showed up several months ago and started causing all sorts of problems. If you make your own laws—which everyone here does—he make life difficult for. He's reckless and idealistic. But he seems to know enough to stay clear of me."

* * *

"I hear you're recruiting." Shepard stopped in front of the batarian in the Blue Suns uniform.

The batarian looked him over. "Hmmm. Why don't you step inside?"

The recruitment officer looked at them. "You feel like you could do some damage. Looking for a good fight?"

"You could say that," said Shepard.

"Standard fee is 500 credits each. You get paid when the job's done. If you die, your friends don't collect your share. You need your own weapons and armour…" He looked over all of them. "Looks like you got that covered. And no, this doesn't make you a member of Blue Suns, Eclipse or Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period. Any questions?"

Shepard asked a few questions discovering that Archangel had caused quite a bit of trouble for all three merc groups, so much so that they actually joined forces to kill them. Also Archangel appeared to have a team, but they had already taken care of that. He also discovered that the freelance job was nothing more than a suicide mission, but they were practically already on one.

"So where do we go?" Shepard asked.

"Just head over to the transport people outside the club. One of our boys will take you from there. Sending the next one."

Shepard was about to head out when the next recruit in line stepped in. "Hey, is this where I sign up?"

"You look a little young to be freelancing as a merc." Shepard looked him over. The reminded him of Jenkins.

"I'm old enough." The kid turned towards him belligerently. "I grew up on Omega. I know how to use a gun." He demonstrated by waving a crappy sidearm haphazardly.

Jacob shook his head. "So does Archangel."

"I can handle myself." The kid squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest trying to make himself look tough. "Besides, I just spent 50 credits on this pistol, and I wanna use it!"

Shepard disarmed the kid rather casually, then snapped the firing mechanism off the gun. "Get your money back." He handed the now useless firearm back to the kid. "Trust me, kid. You'll thank me later." He headed back out.

* * *

"Omega." Miranda shook her head as they walked to the transit hub. "What a pisshole. At least it keeps you on your toes. I've had to come here on business before. I feel like I need a shower afterward—in addition to normal decontamination."

"Not exactly the kind of place I want to live in," said Shepard.

* * *

"It's about time they sent me someone who looks like they can actually fight." The batarian who met them almost looked relieved. "They tell you what we're up against."

Shepard surveyed the scene. "The recruiter was a little vague."

"We wouldn't get many hires if everyone knew the truth. Archangel's holed up in a building at the end of the boulevard over there. He's got a superior position, and the only way in is over a very exposed bridge. It's a killing ground." The batarian shrugged. "But he's getting tired, making mistakes. We'll have him soon enough."

"You guys have a plan?" Shepard asked.

"A small team is waiting to infiltrate his hideout, but we need to draw Archangel's fire so they can move in."

"And that's where we come in?" Shepard guessed.

He nodded. "Exactly. You'll be on the distraction team. Head straight over the bridge and keep Archangel busy so the infiltration team can sneak in behind him."

"Sounds like a suicide mission to me," said Jacob.

"Pretty much. But you look like you can handle it. Head up to the boulevard and get to the third barricade. Talk to Sergeant Cathka. He'll tell you when to go in."

"I better go and find Sergeant Cathka."

"Good idea. What yourself on the boulevard. Archangel's killed dozens out there already."

He turned to his companions as soon as the batarian walked away to meet another couple freelancers.

"Well, we might have a way to get in, but getting out could be interesting," said Jacob.

"Let's find him first," Shepard advised. "Then we'll figure out how to get back."

* * *

Sabotaged ammo, a couple stolen accounts, some hacked mechs, a damaged gunship, and a dead gunship repairman later, they headed towards the bridge.

"Doesn't look like Archangel's got much time," Jacob noted.

"Well, let's not wait around too long," said Miranda.

"Come on. We'll give these guys as a surprise of our own," said Shepard

* * *

They made their way over the bridge and then they began shooting the freelancers, taking them completely by surprise. The sniper, Archangel, winged him with a shot, but it just grazed him as the entered the base. He saw a group setting up some explosives, and casually shot the explosives. The resulting fireball took out the entire group.

The sniper had his back to them when they entered the room. "Archangel?" Shepard asked.

To his surprise, the sniper signalled for him to wait a moment, then took aim again. He got the last of the group that had come across the bridge with a headshot. He set the rifle down, using it to push himself tiredly back to his feet. Then he pulled off his helmet. "Shepard. I thought you were dead."

Shepard's eyes widened as his eyes fell upon to his old friend. "Garrus! What are you doing here?"

"Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice."

Shepard gave his friend an once-over. Garrus looked exhausted. "You okay?"

"Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face." Garrus nodded. "Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own."

Shepard started to nod, and then he narrowed his eyes. "You nailed me good a couple of times, by the way."

"Concussive rounds only. No harm done. Didn't want the mercs getting suspicious." Garrus shrugged.

"Uh-huh."

Garrus clicked his mandibles. "If I want to do more than bring your shields down, I'd have done it. Besides, you are taking your sweet time. I need you to get moving."

"What are you doing here on Omega?"

"I got fed up with all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel. Figured I could do more good on my own." He stretched his arm, clearly he's been fighting for quite some time. "At least it's not hard to fight criminals here. All I have to do is point my gun and shoot."

Shepard shook his head in bewilderment. "How'd you managed to piss off every major merc organisation in the Terminus Systems?"

Garrus shrugged. "It wasn't easy. I really had to work at it." He looked over the bridge. "I'm amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me."

"Since when did you start calling yourself Archangel?"

"It's just a name the locals gave me. For all my good deeds." Garrus leaned back. "I don't mind it, but please..."He looked up at Shepard. "It's just 'Garrus' to you."

"Well, we got here, but I don't think getting out will be as easy," said Shepard.

"No, it won't." Garrus stood. "That bridge has saved my life… funnelling all those witless idiots into scope. But it works both ways." He looked out over the scene. "They'll slaughter us if we try to get out that way."

Miranda spoke up. "So we just sit here and wait for them to take us out?"

Garrus glanced at Miranda. "It's not all that bad. This place has held them off so far. And with the three of you…" He waved a hand. "I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defences, and take our chances. It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan."

Shepard was a price that Garrus got himself into this position. "How'd you let yourself get into this position?"

"My feeling is not on the way of my better judgement. It's a long story. I'll make you a deal: you get me out of here alive, and I'll tell you the whole damn thing."

Shepard couldn't argue with that. "If we find as a team, we'll hold them off."

"You're right. Their numbers won't help them in here, anyway." Garrus nodded. "Let's see what they're up to." He went to the window and looked out his scope. "Hmm…" His mandibles clicked. "Looks like they know their infiltration team failed. Take a look. Scouts. Eclipse, I think." He handed Shepard the rifle.

He hefted it, and begrudgingly noted it actually was a bit nicer than the Cerberus had provided. He saw mechs appearing over the barricade. Sheppard then pulled the trigger blown one of their heads off. "More than scouts. One less now though."

"Indeed. We better get ready." Garrus got into position. "I'll stay up here. I can do a lot of damage from this vantage point. You…" Garrus nodded. "You can do what you do best. Just like old times, Shepard."

* * *

Mechs began to advance towards them, but they were more prepared and began shooting them down like they were in a shooting gallery. Slowly more Eclipse mercs started to advance, some even had shields and biotics.

After they mowed them down the Eclipse leader, Jaroth showed himself looking quite frustrated. "If you want something done properly…" He then broadcast his voice. "All right, let's see how you handle this, Archangel."

A curse came from Garrus. "Damn it. They're sending out the heavy mechs."

"That problem to take care of itself!" Shepard smirked.

The heavy mech turned, and opened fire on the mercenaries. Over the comm, he heard Garrus laugh.

* * *

"You're kicking ass, Shepard. They barely touched me." Garrus nodded when they re-entered his sniper perch. "And we got Jaroth in the process. I've been hunting that little bastard for months."

"Why were you after him?" Shepard tossed him another ammo block.

"He's been shipping tainted eezo all over Citadel space. Half the goods I seized back at C-Sec came from his team here on Omega." Garrus clicked his mandibles. "I took out a big shipment a while back and killed his top lieutenant in the process. Not surprised he decided to work with the other mercs after that."

"Seems like you've been having fun." Shepard hesitated a moment. "I ran into Tali. Don't suppose you know where some of the others are?"

"Last time I talked to Ashley, she was under the command of Rick Ryder, he's been a Lieutenant Commander and they been doing several missions for Councillor Anderson." Garrus shrugged. "Thought that was almost a year ago. We stopped being able to tell each other what we were doing and things kind of…" His mandibles clicked. "Wrex headed back to Tuchanka, and I'm not sure what Liara is up to these days. How was Tali?"

"Good. She's running missions on her own now." He glanced over the balcony. "We've still got Blood Pack and Blue Suns left. Think we can make a break for it?"

"Maybe. Let's see what they're up to."

Shepard started to walk over, and then noticed the land and Jacob as they approached. He gestured for them to hold the walkway just in case something did make it over the bridge. "Look at that." He gestured.

"They've reinforced the other side…" Garrus nodded. "Heavily. But they're not coming over the bridge yet. What are they waiting for?"

The building answered their question by shaking slightly. Some alarms went off. Miranda turned towards them. "What the hell was that?"

"Damn it. They've breached the lower level." Garrus looked down at his omnitool. "Well, they had to use their brains eventually. You'd better get down there, Shepard. I'll keep the bridge clear."

"Let's split up two and two." He gestured. "Jacob, stay with Garrus and watch his back. Keep them alive."

"If you say so," said Jacob uneasily. "I'm not sure it's a good idea…"

"Thanks, Shepard. You better get going."

* * *

"Vorcha, varren, and krogan." Shepard sniped one of the mercenaries. "Garrus, you sure know how to throw a welcome back party."

"Sealing the blast doors should keep them out long enough," Garrus radioed back. "You've been down there almost a minutes. What's taking you so long?"

"Mostly the krogan. I'm using disruptor ammo to slow them down Miranda's blowing them away with her biotics."

"Sounds like you're having fun."

Shepard hit the control for the blast door, then glanced at his comm unit. "This door seals were making our way to the next one."

"We're taking some heads appear, Shepard," said Garrus.

"We're moving as fast as we can, Garrus." He snapped his rifle up and put a round into the backpack unit of a vorcha with a flamethrower, then ducked into cover as the vorcha and two of its friends exploded.

* * *

"Get back here, Shepard. They're coming in through the doors."

Garrus turned just in time to see the Blood Pack's leader, Garm are merging from the door with his vorcha bodyguards. "Raaah! Rip them to shreds!"

Garrus sniped one of the vorcha, which seemed to annoy the krogan. "Watch my back." The krogan gestured. "I'll deal with Archangel!"

Shepard and Miranda arrived shooting another vorcha.

* * *

Caught between the two of them, the krogan lasted about a minute. Garrus put a new thermal clip into his sniper rifle. "Thanks, Shepard. They hardly got through to me. And we took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day just gets better and better. He was one tough son of a bitch."

"You fought with him before?" Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we tangled once. Caught him alone. None of his gang to help him. I still couldn't take him out. I've never seen a krogan regen that fast. He's a freak of nature. He just kept at it until his vorcha showed up. It was close, but I had to let him go." He clicked his mandibles again. "Not this time."

"Only the Blue Suns are left." Shepard glanced out at the bridge. "I say we take our chances and fight our way out."

"I think you're right. Tarak's got the toughest group, but nothing we haven't faced before. Besides, he won't be expecting us to meet him head-on—"

They were interrupted by the gunship breaking one of the windows. Immediately, they dove for cover. "Shepard, you couldn't take out the gunship?"

"I took down the guy repairing its shields."

"Dammit, they're rappelling down the walls."

* * *

He was heading back to the balcony when he saw the gunship rise again with Garrus caught out in the open. The man that was piloting it was none other than the Blue Suns leader, Tarak.

"Archangel!" Tarak roared. "You think you can screw with the Blue Sun! This ends now!"

Garrus turned, but it was far too late as the gunship began to fire at him. He managed to crawl for cover, but then a missile hit before he could get all the way clear.

Shepard took cover and the gunship began to fire at them. He looked towards Garrus' unmoving body and feared the worst. "Garrus!"

Shepard then stood up and began to fire at the gunship of everything he had. He then launched a burst of fire at that must of course a chain reaction at the gunship exploded. The way to see the results and move towards Garrus' side.

"Garrus?" He reached for his medical kit. Blue blood was pooled under Garrus's form.

Then Garrus gasped, his hand clutching at his rifle. As quickly as he could, Shepard got the medigel patch on. "Stay with me, Garrus. I didn't come all this way to see you die." Garrus' breath came in ragged gasps, but he was breathing. "We're getting you out of here, Garrus. Just hold on." He glanced at Jacob. "Radio Joker. May sure they're ready for us."

"We better hurry," said Jacob. "He looks bad."

* * *

Ashley sighed, and looked back at the readout. Horizon was a peaceful world, but the residents were making it fairly clear they weren't happy about her presence. It was hard to blame them. It wasn't as though she was happy to be there either.

She began to wish that Rick admin called back to the Citadel. She had no idea why, he was called back, but she had a niggling feeling that it had something to do with the rumours about Shepard. She still couldn't believe them.

The installation of the defence towers wasn't exactly going well. The towers hadn't even been placed yet, and the colonists were already complaining about them. And she couldn't tell if the targeting unit was flawed or if it had been deliberately sabotaged. Cerberus undoubtedly had agents in the colony itself, but the idea that they could sabotage the parts enroute aboard Alliance ships was more than a little disturbing.

Brass was worried Cerberus was involved in the colony disappearance. Was someone impersonating John in an attempt to draw attention away from the disappearances, or to distance Cerberus from them? He forced himself to unclench his fists, and sighed. Tali had left her four messages. She'd yet to read any of them.

She looked down at the readout again. Well, if Horizon was the next target, she better get those towers up and running.


	6. The Professor

They had managed to reach the Normandy, but it was very touch and go. Shepard waiting the briefing room for about two hours since they came aboard. Jacob had just arrived to tell him the news.

"Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit," said Jacob. Shepard merely lowered its head. "The docs corrected with surgery precision and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but…"

The door opened, and Garrus walked in. The right half of his face bore an impressive array of scars. "Shepard."

Jacob blinked. "Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet."

Garrus walked towards him. "Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?"

Shepard chuckled. "Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice."

A burst of laughter came from the turian followed by a twitch of pain. "Don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is." He shrugged. "Ah, probably for the best. Everyone was always ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it."

He waited until Jacob saluted and left the room. Garrus spoke before he could. "Frankly, I'm more worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard? You remember those sick experiments they were doing?"

Shepard nodded. "That's why I'm glad you're here, Garrus. If I'm walking into hell, I want someone I trust at my side."

"You realise this plan has me walking into hell, too." He mandibles clicked. "Hah. Just like old times. I'm for duty whenever you need me, Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries."

* * *

Shepard made his way to the armoury and made his way over towards Jacob.

"Commander. Can I help you with something?" Jacob asked turning away from his work.

"I'm more interested in talking for a bit."

"Sounds good. Have to say, you run this ship tight, and we're getting things done. We keep on tracking and maybe we'll figure some of this out." He then rubbed the back of his head. "I hope so. I'm not looking forward to the debrief if it all goes to hell. Is there something specific, are you just checking in?"

"I like to know my crew. Forget procedure. Tell me about yourself."

"Informal, huh?" Jacob said curiously. "Everything's in my file. Ex-Alliance, like you. No Reapers or anything, but I got swept under the rug, too. The more good you do, the less they want to admit that something needed doing."

"What led you to Cerberus?"

"The Alliance sidelined me after Eden Prime. Ended up on a job with Miranda that Cerberus treated like an audition and here I am."

"You don't seem like a 'result at all costs' kind of guy. Cerberus history doesn't bother you?"

Jacob shrugged. "The Alliance is all politics. Somebody has to take down the bad people. Cerberus keep that line, I'm on their side."

"You look like you came through no worse for wear," Shepard noted.

"If nothing else, the Alliance trained its people well. Once you live that life, you can't sit around getting fat. You know how it goes. Although I bet Cerberus put you back together better than ever. Get any upgrades?"

Shepard had to admit that he was a lot stronger than he used to be. "I'm glad enough they restored me to stock. Couldn't hurt to keep some spare part handy, thought."

Jacob nodded. "I hear that. Your job isn't getting any safer. You know, I used to wonder what the big deal with you was. But now that we're in deep, I'm glad it's not me in the spotlight."

"There's no hiding, Jacob. Not for any of us."

"Don't worry. This is exactly what I signed on for. If that's all, Commander. I'll get back to my duties. There's a lot to get ready."

* * *

Aria was able to direct them to where he could find Mordin. And apparently there was a plague between them and the doctor. A plague and a gang turf war, with vorcha. Apparently the plague didn't kill non-humans and vorcha all other species were dying.

Because of our people believe that it was man-made which meant that that humans were getting the blame, because no one believe that the vorcha were smart enough to create it. At the same time the vorcha were taking advantage of the situation and were taking quite a bit of Blue Sun territorially.

Vorcha were short lived species that were immune to all kinds of ailments. There was a very savage and bloodthirsty and as such were considered vermin or pests and Shepard can only blame them.

"So a plague that doesn't kill humans and a turf war," said Shepard. "It would seem as if getting to our professor has got a lot more complicated."

"At least we're immune," said Jacob.

"Won't stop them from shooting our heads off," Zaeed pointed out.

"Let's see if we can't do something to stop that," said Shepard.

* * *

They ran into several Blue Suns mercenary and upon laying eyes on they began to fire. However there was only two of them and they were easily dealt with. They then came across and burning pyres and notice somebody's burning in them. However, there were quite a few other dead bodies lying around.

"Guess they just left the dead in the streets," said Jacob.

Zaeed bent down to one of the bodies. "Plague control as its most basic: pile the bodies in the streets and burn 'em."

"It doesn't seem to be working though," said Miranda.

Then Shepard noticed a batarian collapsed near bend in the corridor. The man looked up at him, glaring balefully out of all four eyes. "Human. Should have guessed."He shook his head. "Bad enough you infect us with this plague. Now you lack the decency to even wait until I die before you come to steal my possessions."

Shepard shook his head. "Humans didn't create this plague."

"Lies drip from your mouth like the blood from my sores. The proof is there for all to see. Your species is the only one that does not succumb to the virus. Yours, and the wretched vorcha."

This was getting them nowhere. "I need to find Mordin Solus."

"Humans looking for the human sympathizer. I hope the vorcha burn Mordin and his clinic to the ground. I hope you…" He coughed. "I hope…" He choked before spitting out some blood. "Damn it. Damn you. Can't…"

Almost before he knew what he was doing, Shepard was kneeling by the man, applying a dose of medigel. "Hey, stay with me! This won't cure the plague, but it might help a bit."

"You…" The batarian staggered to his feet. "You helped me. Why?"

"It's what I do," said Shepard tiredly. "I don't know if I can find a cure for this plague, but I'm going to try."

The batarian just stared at him. "Your words sound… sincere. Maybe it's the fever, but as you said—what have I to lose?"

He promised to send help after the batarian directed him to Mordin's clinic, then continued onward.

* * *

The place was bloody and brutal. People had simply been locked in their homes to die. A few had actually tried to claw their way out. One building contained looters. Shepard convince them that now was not the time to go scavenging.

They soon found the clinic and followed a stream of medical babble led him into one of the rooms. A salarian was instructing his assistant on mixing a medication. "Professor Mordin Solus?"

The doctor turned towards him and ran his omnitool in their general direction. "Hmmm… Don't recognise you from area. Too well-armed to be refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect. Here for something else. Vorcha? Crew to clean them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom, not a cause. The plague? Investigating possible use as bio-weapon? No. Too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers, not scientists. Hired guns, maybe? Looking for someone! Yes! But who? Someone important. Valuable. Someone of secrets. Someone like me."

Shepard blinked and then held out his hand calmly. "Relax, Mordin. I'm Commander Shepard, and I came here to find you. On a critical mission, and I need your help."

"Mission? What mission? No. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?" Mordin ducked down and handed some vials off to his assistant.

Shepard thought it was wise not to mention that he came from a terrorist organisation. "It's a covert and privately funded human group."

Moridan stood up and looked at him curiously as he began to fiddle with his equipment. "related to plague? Doesn't affect humans. Human-centric interest. Few human groups would know me. Equipment suggests military origin. Not Alliance standard. Spectres not human. Terra Firma to unstable. Only one option." He looked back at Shepard now that the interest. "Cerberus sent you. Unexpected."

Mordian then bent down to examine his equipment. "You're very well-informed. How did a salarain scientist here about Cerberus?"

Mordin stood back up. "Crossed paths on occasion. Thought they only worked with humans." He shrugged. "Why request salarian aid?"

"The Collectors are kidnapping entire human populations. We're going to find out why and stop them."

"Collectors?" Mordin tapped his hand against his chin. "Interesting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar." He nodded. "But must stop plague first. Already have cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control centre. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."

"I'll get in there and deal with the vorcha," Shepard assured.

Mordin was about to say something else when there was a rumbling sound. And then the air flow coming from the vents abruptly stopped.

"What the hell was that?" Jacob asked.

"Vorcha have shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates." Mordin started handing him things. "Here, take plague cure. Also, bonus in good faith. Weapon from dead Blue Sun mercs. May come in handy against vorcha." The salarian held up his hands. "One more thing. Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into vorcha territory. Looking for victims. Hasn't come back."

"If I see him, I'll do what I can to help."

"Thank you. Told him not go. But he's smart. Bright future. I hope."

"I found a sick batarain plague victims near the entrance to the neighbourhood. Can you send someone to help him?"

"Risky. Blue Suns, vorcha still battling. District not secure. See what I can do."

Mordin then went on to explain why the Collectors ignored humans when agreed to the virus. Apparently they had a diverse genetic background, Shepard couldn't really understand what he meant by that, but from what he could tell was that it would have been too complicated for them to include humans in their calculations.

* * *

Shepard used two of the empty barrels as a makeshift sniper nest as he started picking off oncoming vorcha and Zaeed picked off any stragglers. Both Jacob and Miranda threw out biotics to keep the vorcha pinned.

"Please…" A young man was being threatened by a group of batarians. That would be Daniel then. "I'm telling you the truth. I work for Mordin at the clinic. I came here to help you."

A batarian had him by the neck. "We know you're spreading the plague virus. We saw the vials in your bag."

"No. Those vials contain the cure. Please…" The man was shaking his head desperately. "You have to believe me."

"Maybe we should cut off your fingers. That should loosen your—" The batarian cut off when Shepard entered, gun drawn. "Don't move! One more step and we kill your friend!"

"I know you're scared. Of the vorcha. Of the plague. But this man isn't to blame. If he was here to spread the virus, why would he come in to vorcha territory? They're immune."

One of the batarians looked at their leader. "He's right. It doesn't make any sense."

Leader then looked at Shepard. "If release the prisoner, we can go?"

"You have my word on it."

The batarian leader thought for a moment. "Let him go." He turned to Shepard. "You got what you wanted, human. Are we free to go?"

Shepard nodded. "We had a deal."

The batarian actually looked surprised. "Human nobility. I didn't know such a thing existed." They filed out.

Daniel managed to catch his breath. "Thank you. I thought they were going to…" He swallowed. "To kill me." He looked up at Michael. "Did Mordin send you to find me?"

"The Professor could use your help right now. He's got too many patients and not enough volunteers."

"Yeah, okay. I'll go right away. Thanks again. I owe you…" Daniel blinked. "Well…" He shrugged. "Everything."

* * *

They soon entered into the ventilation shafts, but the vorcha have the place well-fortified with missile launchers on the high ground, they have themselves dig in, and they have to run through the plays like was a shooting gallery.

They hadn't gone far when some vorcha emerged. "You no come here. We shut down machines, break fans! Everyone choke and die! Then Collectors make us strong!"

So the Collectors were in on this. "What do the Collectors want?"

"Collectors want plague! You work for doctor, turn on machines, put cure in air. We kill you first!"

"Not if we kill you first," said Shepard.

They then began to open fire.

He fired off a round into the tanks on the back of one of the vorcha. The vorcha spun around, and a heartbeat later exploded, taking three of its companions with it. Then he rushed out of cover, grabbed Miranda's wrist, and hauled her behind one of the pillars. "Status?"

She used her omnitool to apply some of the gel to the wound on her side. "I'll be fine."

"Barriers are no substitute for armour." He came out of cover and fired off another shot. "Jacob, get that vial in, Zaeed with me." He and Zaeed provided cover fire as Jacob headed into the control room.

The vorcha certainly tried to prevent them from doing anything with the vents, but the attack with no coordination and the tactics were obvious. Shepard shot around another tank on a flamethrower and Miranda pushed the vorcha right into a squad.

Zaeed fired a couple around that a missile launcher while Shepard picked the others off with a sniper rifle. It took some doing but they'll finally all dead and Jacob was able to install all the vials into the vents which began to spread across the district.

"Let's meet with our Professor," said Shepard.

* * *

"Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating. Well done, Shepard. Thank you." Mordin looked away from the display and nodded.

Daniel smiled. "And thank you from me, as well. Those batarians would have killed me." He wiped at his brow. "For a second there, I thought you were going to shoot them even after they let me go."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "I made a promise to spare them if they let you go. I hold my promises."

"Merciful of you. Risky." Mordin frowned. "Would have killed them myself."

"Professor?" Daniel looked horrified. "How can you say that? You're a doctor. You believe in helping people."

"Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients." Mordin gestured as he spoke. "Sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps." He waved a hand. "Go check on the patients. Lots of work to do. Think about what I said." He waited for Daniel to walk away before turning back to Michael. "Good kid. Bit naive. He'll learn. Letting him take over the clinic. Should be able to handle it now that vorcha are gone."

Shepard had to admit that Mordin was an unusual character. He also seem to be quite a skilled fighter despite his age and there was no denying that he was an excellent scientist. "We've cure the plague. You ready to help stop the Collectors?

"Yes. Unexpected to be working with Cerberus. Many surprises." Mordin nodded. "Just need to finish up here at the clinic. Won't take long. Meet you at your ship. Looking forward to it."

* * *

Before returning to Normandy, Shepard had to assist Aria with protecting her predecessor, Patriarch. He was a krogan that looked as if he had seen battle the battle turned out to be Aria. Apparently someone was trying to make a hit on him and Shepard offered to be his bodyguard in order to help his image.

Aria wasn't too happy, but they got the job done and that was as good enough for her. He even provided her with information that one of the mercs that when to try and kill Garrus were planning to assassinate her. In gratitude she gave the coordinates to a supply cash.

Even ran into Helena Blake, the former smuggler he encountered two years ago and discovered that she was still going straight, much to his surprise. He then took ill the bartender that like to kill humans and nearly killed him and when he returned to the bartender a turian shot him.

* * *

When Shepard returned to the Normandy he looked in on Zaeed to discover the man had taken over one of the storage rooms in engineering and turned it into his personal quarters. Then he headed into the briefing room. Taylor led Mordin in a few moments later. "Welcome to the Normandy, Professor. It's an honour to have you on board."

"Yes." Mordin looked around. "Very exciting. Cerberus working with aliens. Unexpected. Illusive Man branching out, maybe? Not so human-centric?"

"You're very well-informed." Shepard gave Mordin another appraising look.

"Salarian government well-connected. Espionage experts. Had top level clearance once. Retired now. Still hear things." Mordin shrugged as he continued his rapid fire speech. "Informed of name only. No knowledge of man behind it. Anti-alien reputation listed as problematic."

"Don't kid yourself, Professor. Humans still come first in Illusive Man's eyes. But this mission is too big for them to handle alone."

Jacob nodded. "The Collectors have been abducting colonists from the fringes of the Terminus Systems."

Mordin frowned. "Not simple adductions. Wouldn't want me for simple."

Jacob nodded again. "Entire colonies disappear without a trace. There's no signs of any kind of attack. "There is virtually no evidence that anything useful happened at all…" He leaned on the table. "Except that every man, woman, and child is gone."

"Gas, maybe?" Mordin paced and gestured as he spoke. "No. Spreads too slow. Airborne virus? No. Slower than gas. Drugged water supply? No. Effects not simultaneous. Intriguing. Fascinating. No distress calls? No signs of resistance? New technology. Marvelously advanced…"

"You don't have to sit there and guess. We collected samples from one of the colonies. I'd like you to analyse them and figure out how the Collectors did this."

"Yes." Mordin pointed at him. "Of course. Analyse the samples. Going to need a lab."

EDI's voice entered the room. "There is a fully-equipped lab on the combat deck, Professor Solus. If you find anything lacking, please place a requisition order."

"Who's that? Pilot. No. Synthesized voice. Simulated emotional inflection. Could it be…" Mordin frowned. "No. Maybe. Have to ask. Is that an AI?"

"This ship is equipped with an artificial intelligence."

"An AI on board? Non-human crew members? Cerberus more desperate than I thought."

"The Collectors have taken tens of thousands of colonists." Jacob nodded. "We'll do whatever we have to do to find and stop them."

"Yes. Of course. Can't risk being captured like colonists. Need to identify, neutralize technology. Need samples. Which way to the lab?"

"Follow me, Professor." Jacob led him out.

Shepard quickly checked his messages, and felt a chill when he saw one from Anderson, of all people. He quickly pulled it up and read it over. A sigh escaped him. Yeah, he definitely owed Anderson an explanation.

For a moment, he just stood there. Then he sighed, and hit the button for the comm. "Joker, set us a course for the Citadel."


	7. Returning to the Citadel

"Do you have a minute, Miranda?"

Miranda looked up from her desk. "Of course. I'm just finishing an operation report." She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm impressed, Shepard. So far things have gone exceptionally well. As Cerberus operations go, this is the best one I've been a part of."

"Maybe that's because this isn't a Cerberus operation," Shepard pointed out.

Miranda shrugged. "Not to you, maybe. But I report directly to the Illusive Man. And I'm here because he wants me to be. Cerberus gave you a second chance, Commander. Maybe you should do the same for us."

Shepard crossed his arms. "What did Cerberus do that make you so loyal?"

Miranda frowned. "Hmm… I suppose you deserved to know…" She waited until he sat down on a chair. "You remember what I told you I was genetically altered? Well, that wasn't my choice. My father… created me. He's a very influential man, and extremely controlling. He didn't want a daughter-he wanted a dynasty. I ran away as soon as I was old and brave enough. I went to Cerberus because I knew they could protect me."

"I assume that Cerberus approves of your enhanced abilities?"

"Of course," Miranda admitted. "Cerberus fully endorses anything that advances the cause of humanity… genetically alterations included. But unlike my father and his own selfish reasons, Cerberus and the Illusive Man believe in a greater good. They see the bigger picture… and I feel like I have a purpose here."

Shepard frowned. "You talk about yourself like you're just a… tool to be used. Buy your father, by Cerberus."

"Maybe. I like to know where I fit in the world. It helps me find meaning in how I was created."

"You are who you are, Miranda. You don't need to make excuses for it."

"That's easy for you to say. We've both been engineered for greatness, Shepard. The difference is, you agree before we rebuilt you… I'm great because of it."

Shepard shook his head. "Your spirit and personality are what make you great. It's what makes anyone great."

Because sworn that Miranda blushed. "That's kind of you… I'm not sure I believe you, but thank you for saying it."

"You've told me a lot about your father. What happened to your mother?"

Miranda closed her eyes. "I never had one. Most of my genetic material is based on my father's tissue. His Y chromosome was altered with an amalgam of desired traces from various sources." He could see the frustrated look in her eye. "How arrogant can you be? The man is completely egomaniacal. Just another reason I had to get away from him."

Shepard could take the hint that she didn't want to talk more about her father the moment. He then got to his feet. "Thanks for your time, Miranda. I'll talk to you later."

* * *

"Got a minute?"

"Sure." Garrus turned around. "Just checking the weapon systems. You can never be too careful." He shrugged. "I thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise." He gave the battery an admiring look. "And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot. I wish we'd joined up with them sooner."

"We haven't joined Cerberus. Their funding our mission. That's all."

"Relax, Shepard. Just a figure of speech." He looked down. "I can't exactly doubt your judgment. Not after I got my own squad killed."

Shepard leaned on a piece of machinery. "What did your merc squad do? It didn't sound like you were available for hire."

"You saw Omega." He gestured. "It was full of thugs kicking the helpless. I formed my team to kick back. We weren't mercenaries. At least, nobody was paying us." He paced the small room. "We made money by taking down slavers, pirates, or gangs that went too far."

"It doesn't sound like you are making any friends with the gangs," Shepard noted.

"I got three separate merc bands to work together to take me down. My manager at C-Sec would be impressed." Garrus made the expression he recognized as a turian smirk. "It was simple. We'd hit their shipments, disrupt activities. Get under their skin. Make them angry." He clasped his hands behind his back. "They'd come charging right into our well-prepared kill-zone. Crossfire and snipers, clean and surgical. They never stood a chance."

They chatted a while longer about Garrus' activities and group on Omega. Garrus hadn't changed one bit. "How did those mercenary gangs take down your team?"

Garrus hung his head. "It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me." He paced. "A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, then he disappeared. Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn't see it coming."

"Do you know where Sidonis is now?" There was a galaxy to save. But they could find a few minutes to help Garrus put a round into a traitor's head.

"No." Garrus sighed. "His trail vanishes after he leaves Omega. But I'll keep hunting." He met Shepard eyes. "I lost my whole team, except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him…"His mandibles clicked sharply. "And correct that."

* * *

There were a few hours yet before they reached the Citadel. Shepard decided to check in on his other non-human crew member. Mordin was bustling about the lab. "Shepard. How can I help?"

"Got a minute to talk?"

"Of course." Mordin stepped back from one of the computers. "Plague on Omega dealt with. Plenty of time to analyse Collector intelligence." He gestured at the room. "Impressive laboratory setup. Missed working for operations with a budget. AI in particular very helpful. Best setup I've seen since work with Special Tasks Group."

"What kind of research were you doing with the STG?" He'd read the dossier, but he also knew the Illusive Man wasn't going to tell him more than what he wanted him to know.

"Not simply research. Several recon missions. Covert, high-risk. Served under young captain named Kirrahe. Studied krogan genophage. Took water, tissue samples from krogan colonies."

Shepard blinked. "I worked with an STG captain named Kirrahe. His team helped me destroy Saren's cloning facility on Virmire."

"Heard he was part of that. Jury-rigged explosive?" Mordin's tone actually sounded admiring. "Always got job done with limited resources. Good captain. Bit of a cloaca, though. Loved his speeches. 'Hold the line'. Personally prefer to get job done and go home." Mordin shrugged. "Probably military bravado. Jargon, chest-pounding. No offense."

He asked a few more questions about the genophage and STG, then left Mordin to his work.

* * *

They soon landed on the Citadel as a civilian ship which meant they had to go through certain protocols, but eventually they landed.

According to the dossier, one of his 'new crew' was supposed to meet him here. He even had a pass phrase. He started looking around, and then the advertisement said his name. "Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard."

Shepard looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "Silence is golden."

"Glad to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. The image said back to him. "Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."

"You've been filled in on the mission?"

"Honestly, I'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being hard to find, I guess."

"What brought you to Cerberus?" Shepard asked.

"That a bit of a story. Short version, they are looking for me, so I trailed them to find out why. Turns out they were looking for someone to join you on an important mission… and were offering a serious signing bonus. I had a thing I need help with, so I make them a deal. And here we are."

The Illusive Man was making it a habit of not informing him of the deals. "I assume this deal is something I should know about."

Kasumi didn't look surprised. "Yeah, I guess it slipped their minds. I'm looking for my old partner's grey box. A man named Donavn Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back."

"I assume a greybox is some kind of hardware."

"It's a neural implant. Illegal in most places. Stores memories, thoughts… secret codes, illicit information. This one in particular flown to my partner, Keiji Okuda. We work together for a long time, before Hock killed him."

"Tell me about this former partner of yours."

"His name was Keiji Okuda, the best hacker and entryman I've ever known. Unfortunately, he slid up and made himself infamous. He saw something he shouldn't. He warned me it was bad, something that could spark interstellar war if it got out. That information… got him killed."

"What could he have found that's so bad?"

"He wouldn't say what it was, just that it was dangerous. He said if it got out, humanity could be in trouble. He encrypted it, wrapped it up in his own memories. To decode the information, you have to sift through all the time we spent together. Now those memories are all that's left of him."

Shepard nodded. "I can understand why you'd want to get it back."

"Getting it back will be easier with your help, Shepard."

If this information could really start a war then they had to get it back before this Donavn Hock started an intergalactic war. "If that's what service promised you, we'll get it done."

"It'll be fun. And if we we're lucky, you are have to draw your gun."

Shepard doubted that he was that lucky. Then the advertisement switched off and Shepard looked up to find that Kasumi was looking down at them from the catwalk.

"We should probably wrap this up. You look pretty silly standing there talking to an advertisement. See you on the ship, Shepard."

* * *

They were halfway through the corridor when alarms started going off.

"Looks like they've tighten up security," Garrus noted.

"Shut down," said the C-Sec officer. "What? Do you seriously think…" Whoever was on the other side said something. "Yeah, okay." He looked up at Shepard and clicked his mandibles. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Our scanners are picking up false readings. They seem to think you're, ah, dead."

"I was listed as missing in action a couple of years ago."

The C-Sec officer nodded. "Would you mind checking in with my Captain? He can reinstate you into a system."

* * *

"Yes?" The man looked up when Shepard walked to his desk, then his eyes widened just slightly. "I see the problem already, Commander Shepard. My console says you're dead."

"Your sergeant and said you could help with that."

Captain Bailey nodded. "Usually you'd have to go through the Station Security Administrator to reactivate your IDs. Then to Customers and Immigration to regain access to the Citadel itself. And probably stop by the treasury. 'Spending a year dead' is a popular tax dodge." Shepard gestured this in silence. "But I can see your busy man. So how about I just press this button right here, and we call it done?"

"That'll be great."

Captain Bailey pressed the button and then looked up back at Shepard. "Done. You're good to go. You should head up to the Presidium, though. The Council would probably like to know that one of their lost Spectres is still kicking."

"I will." It's where he could find Anderson. "Having access to the Council and the Spectre's resources would be useful."

"Yeah, the Council can get anything. Best thing about working C-Sec is that any equipment, information, or money you need, you get." He shrugged. "Anyway. Something else you need? Or can I get back to work."

"I should go."

* * *

"So I'm officially dead?" Shepard shrugged. "I thought I was just MIA."

"They didn't tell you?" Garrus clicked his mandibles. "There was a funeral and everything."

"Seriously?" Shepard turned towards him.

"Seriously. It was actually quite moving." Garrus waved a hand. "Ashley cried the whole way through."

Shepard groaned. "Ashley is going to kill me."

"At least you will be officially dead. Rick also made a touching speech in your honour."

"Great."

* * *

He walked in on the tail end of a meeting. Anderson was looking out over the view while the holograms of the other councillors talked at him. "This meeting would be more productive if Udina was to join us." The Asari Councillor sounded annoyed.

Anderson also sounded annoyed. "My advisor is unavailable. As Councillor, I represent the voice of humanity and the Alliance." He squared his shoulders. "Shepard will be here any—" He turned and caught sight of Shepard. "Oh, Commander. We were just talking about you."

"It's been a long time, Anderson." He walked forward and offered Anderson a hand. "I hope the last couple years have treated you right."

"There've been some rough spots." His eyes flicked to the images. "It's good to have you back."

The Salarian Councillor's voice interjected. "We've heard many rumours surrounding your unexpected return. Some of them are… Unsettling."

"We called this meeting so you could explain your actions, Shepard." The Asari Councillor gestured. "We owe you that much. After all, you saved our lives in the battle against Saren and his geth."

"The Collectors are abducting human colonists in the Terminus Systems. Worse, we think they're working for the Reapers."

"The Terminus Systems are beyond our jurisdiction!" said the Turian Councillor angrily. "Your colonists knew this when they left Council Space."

Anderson then stepped forward. "You're missing the important part, Councillor. The Reapers are involved."

"Ah, yes. Reapers." The Turian Councillor made an air-quotes gesture. "The immortal race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. We have dismissed that claim."

"Shepard, no one else encountered the hologram on Ilos that told you the truth about the Reapers." Anderson turned to face him. "Only you and your crew ever spoke with Sovereign." He sighed. "I believe you, but without evidence from another source, the others think Saren was behind the geth attacks."

"Saren was an organic." Shepard shook his head. "The geth would never accept him as their leader. They only followed him because he was Sovereign's agent!"

"Saren was a compelling and charismatic individual. He convinced the geth the Reapers were real…" The Asari Councillor stared at him. "Just as he convinced you."

"It was part of his plan to attack the Citadel." The Turian Councillor nodded. "The Reapers are just a myth. One you insist on perpetuating."

The Asari Councillor kept her voice gentle. "We believe that you believe it, but that doesn't make it true."

"Go back to Ilos and talk to Vigil. Or just look at what's left of Sovereign." Shepard glared. "It's obvious the technology is more advanced than ours!"

"The hologram on Ilos is no longer functional, and we have found nothing to suggest that Sovereign was not a geth creation." The Salarian Councillor frowned.

"The geth are capable of remarkable technological achievements." The Asari Councillor nodded. "That is probably why Saren recruited them."

"This Reaper theory proves just how fragile your mental state is. You have been manipulated." The Turian Councillor pointed at him. "By Cerberus and, before them, by Saren."

Shepard was utterly furious. "I kept Saren from conquering the Citadel. I sacrifice human lives to save the Council."

"We are in a difficult position, Shepard. You are working for Cerberus." The Asari Councillor spread her hands. "An avowed enemy of the Council. This is treason, a capital offense."

Anderson immediately took a step forward. "That is too far. Shepard is a hero. I'm on the Council, too, and I won't let this whitewash continue."

"Maybe there is a compromise. Not a public acknowledgment, given your ties, but something to show peripheral support." The Asari Councillor nodded thoughtfully before turning to look at her compatriots.

It was, however, the Turian Councillor who nodded. "Shepard, if you keep a low profile and restrict your operations to the Terminus Systems, the Council is willing to offer you reinstatement as a Spectre."

Who wanted to argue more, but the last thing he wanted was to make an enemy of the Council "I accept your offer."

"Good luck with your investigation, Shepard. We hope for a quick resolution…" The Asari Councillor nodded to him. "And a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus."

After the images vanished, Anderson walked once more to the view and looked out. "Well. That went better than I expected." He turned back to Michael. "You realise the Council's offer is just symbolic. They won't actually do anything."

Shepard nodded. "Even if they don't help, might as well stay on good terms."

Anderson nodded. "True enough. Don't worry about the Council or the Alliance. I'll find some way to keep them off your back. Shouldn't be too hard as long as you keep to the Terminus Systems.

Shepard started to speak, and the door opened. Udina walked in. "Anderson, we need to talk about—" He stared. "Shepard! What are you doing here?"

"Stopping by to how Anderson was doing."

Anderson held out his hand. "You don't have the cover for me." He then turned to face Udina. "I invited Shepard here to speak with the Council." Anderson waved a hand. "We just finished our meeting."

"You what?" Udina's jaw nearly fell off. "Councillor, do the words political shit-storm mean anything to you?"

"The Council will invoke at my Spectre starters," Shepard interjected. "They're just happy staying out in the Terminus Systems."

Udina calm down a bit and rubbed his chin. "Yes… I can see how that arrangement works both sides." He then turned to Anderson angrily. "But you really shouldn't have taken a step like this without consulting me first, Councillor.

"I don't answer to you, Udina." Anderson folded his arms. "Why don't you go to your office and think about that for while?"

"Or course, Councillor." Udina's voice was somewhat shy of 'respectful'. "Good day to both of you."

He then made his way out of Anderson's office fuming.

"Sorry about that. Udina's never gotten over the fact that I got the Council position instead of him. Sometimes I need to put him in his place." Anderson sighed.

"What do you keep him around for?" Shepard asked.

Anderson turned back to the view. "He's got his uses. And if you want something done on the Citadel, he knows who can make it happen." He shrugged. "Plus, he's always happy to attend all those formal diplomatic functions I can't be bothered with."

"How have the last couple years treated you?" Shepard asked. Anderson looked more than just two years older than the last time they'd met.

"Serving on the Council isn't how I planned to spend my twilight years. Sometimes it feels like I'm just beating my head against a wall. Knowing the truth about Sovereign is brutal. It's nightmare stuff. Can't blame others for not wanting to believe it." He leaned on the railing. "But I know how important it is, so I keep trying. Fight the good fight, right?"

Shepard leaned on the railing next to Anderson. "What happened to Gunnar Chief Ashley Williams after the Normandy was destroyed?"

It took a moment for Anderson to respond. "Operations Chief Williams is still with the Alliance, but she's working on a special mission. It's classified." He didn't look at Shepard. "I can't say any more. Not while you're working with Cerberus. I'm sorry."

"I don't need the specifics of his mission, but I'd like to get in touch with him." Shepard straightened.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Anderson turned towards him, but didn't meet his eyes.

"You'll help me get Spectre authority again…" Shepard blinked. "But you won't let me contact a former crew member?"

"Shepard…"

"I better go." Shepard turned and left the office.

* * *

Shepard then ran into a very familiar face.

"Rick?"

"John?" Rick smiled giving him a friendly tap. "You son of a bitch, you are alive."

Shepard smiled back. "And I hear you got promoted, Lieutenant Commander?"

"What can I say to be an interesting two years? What are you doing backing on the Citadel?"

"Anderson wanted to keep me up to date with what's been going on with the Alliance and the Council. The re-establish my Spectre starters, but they don't seem to register the Reapers."

"Tell me about it," Rick sighed. "After you… died, Anderson had me searching every lead we could find to prove your warnings, but the Reapers cover themselves a very well. I even went to the Mars Archives hoping to find something there, but nothing."

"Surely Liara could have helped?"

"I tried to get to help, but she said that she had pressing issues. No idea what they were, but I can't see how important they could be compared to the Reapers."

"I'll let you know if I find out." Shepard then leaned in towards him. "Garrus told me that Ashley was part of your team."

"She is and she still doesn't believe that you are alive. Tali contacted her in to tell you of her meeting with you, but you refuse to believe that you are alive or working with Cerberus."

There was some silence between the two of them as they process this.

"I have to admit that I'm surprised that you're working with Cerberus, but I assume that you have a good reason."

Shepard nodded. "Technically I'm not part of Cerberus. Their only funding my mission which is to investigate the disappearances of colonies in the Terminus Systems."

"Yes, I heard about that. I figured you found who was the cause of them."

"It's the Collectors and I believe there working for the Reapers, no proof, of course."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Listen I have to do get back to Anderson, he's waiting for my report."

"Go right ahead, but I hope I see you again."

Rick smiled. "Can't wait."

* * *

Shepard was making his way back to the Normandy when he met at another familiar face. However, this one was not as friendly as Rick. It was the same reporter that try to slander him two years ago.

Khalisah al-Jilani extended her hand. "Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Weasterlund News." Shepard crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. Khalisah al-Jilani could sense the hostility and lowered her hand. "I interviewed you two years ago, when you first became Spectre. You presented your case very well on camera. Do you have a minute?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What, so you can do another smear job on me?"

"Now Shepard—you may object to my methods, but we're on the same side. You're back, you're news. I just want to give you your story its due."

She then operated her datapad and activated her camera and then made sure her microphone was operational. "Sources claim you are at the heart of the Presidium during the Battle of the Citadel. It's fair to say the course of the battle hinged on your words. If true, you told Admiral Hackett to assist the Destiny Ascension, costing hundreds of human lives and securing the continued dominance of the Citadel Council."

Shepard could see where this was going, but stood firm and strong. "The turians lost 20 cruisers. Figure each had a crew of around 300. The Ascension—the asari dreadnought we saved—had a crew of 10,000."

"But surely the human cost—"

"The Alliance lost eight cruisers. Shenyang. Emden. Jakarta. Cairo. Seoul. Cape Town. Warsaw. Madrid. And yes, I remember them all. Everyone in the Fifth Fleet is a hero. The Alliance owes more medals. The Council owes them a lot more than that." He then narrowed his eyes at Khalisah al-Jilani. "And so do you."

Shepard then walked off and heard Khalisah al-Jilani talking. "Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, hero of the Battle of the Citadel. Check vid." She then talked to someone over the comm, no doubt producers. "We get it? Great, bull-rushed on my own show."

* * *

When Shepard returned to the Normandy he stood watching bubbles move in the fish tank which now had fish flowing around it in his quarters. He suddenly felt as if the whole world was against him, especially the Council and the Alliance. So far the only people who trusted and believed him about the Reapers was Cerberus and he could say he trusted them.

He still hoped that Anderson could have at least pointed in the direction of Ashley so that he could explain to her what had happened to him and his reasons for joining Cerberus. Of course, from what Rick had told him that might not been the wise decision just yet.

* * *

Rick was standing in front of Anderson after handing his report of his latest investigations.

"So you found nothing new," Anderson sighed.

"No sir, another dead end," Rick sighed. "I should also warn you that most of people into my command thinks that were wasting our time."

Anderson nodded. "Noted."

Rick then looked at the Counsellor uneasily. "I ran into Shepard before getting here and he looked annoyed if nothing else."

"Understandable, considering that no one seems to believe his warnings, but joining Cerberus has made people uneasy and questioned his judgement."

"Sir, you and I both know that Shepard is pro-alien which means he would have had a very good reason to join terrorist organisation that is pro-human."

"I understand that, but explain that to the rest of the galaxy. Shepard aside I want you to restock in head back to Horizon."

"That's hardly putting Shepard aside," Rick pointed out.

"Fair enough, but what is the situation with the AA gun?"

"It could be better and in truth so can our relationships with the colonists. Nothing major yet just a few insults, but if we don't get the gun operational soon and out of there it could get violent."

"Do what you can to maintain the peace. We need colonies protected from the Collectors or Cerberus."

Rick saluted. "Yes, sir."


	8. The Convict

Shepard made his way over to the armoury and saw Jacob modifying a shotgun.

"Commander, you want something?" Jacob asked putting his modified shotgun down.

Shepard leaned against the table. "I'm more interested in talking for a bit."

"If you want, Commander." Jacob shrugged. "Cerberus has ranks, but it's not the Alliance. No rules about fraternisation. Your boat, your call. You want to get friendly with everyone, that your business."

Jacob then activated his omnitool and scan several of the mods on the table Shepard was leaning on.

Shepard shook his head. "Relax, Jacob. I'm just interested in what makes you tick."

"Anyone else said that, I'd walk away." Jacob switched off his omnitool and turned to face him. "Most Cerberus people tried to play like the Illusive Man, hiding bullshit behind a smile. But you—I like what I've seen. I'll give you a shot. What you want to know?"

Shepard folded his arms. "Anyone waiting for you back home?"

Jacob shook his head. "Only child and no extended family. Never settle down. Didn't seem fair with this job. But, you can't miss what you never had."

"I have an aunt in the Alliance, she was given the promotion of Admiral but she turned it down because of me. She sent a message through, but other than I haven't heard from her."

"I've read her file," Jacob nodded. "Very impressive records and one of the few Alliance of officers worth their salt."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You seem okay with taking a risk on me. Why?"

"Soldiers like us know how important trust is to the crew. I'm not used to seeing it on a Cerberus ship. Definitely not from the people they put in command. But you focus on the more on the job. A threat this big, you can't just throw people at it blind. They need inspiration."

"There's a lot riding on this, but we can't give up everything."

"Not always a choice we get to make. Good to try, though. I give it my best back in the Alliance. Got labelled as a troublemaker. They were always on the lookout for disruptive types. Cerberus isn't any better. They just put more effort into hiding how much they spy on you."

Shepard raised his hand dramatically. "Let them watch. We're not hiding anything."

"Wouldn't matter if we were," Jacob smiled. "It's not like they can reel us in. We're handling this, whether they like it or not. Anyway, I should get back to prep. Nice talking to you, Shepard. Let's do it again sometime."

* * *

The Normandy soon dropped out of FTL they soon approached a ship called Purgatory. The place was giving its charming name by the fact that it was a prison in the Terminus System.

The reason they were heading there was because according to the dossier there was a convict there that could help them on their mission a very powerful biotic, maybe even the most powerful human biotic by the name of Jack.

"Welcome to the Purgatory, Shepard. Your package is being prepped, and you can claim it shortly." The guard nodded in greeting. "As this is a high-security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed."

"I can't do that," said Shepard firmly.

Another turian approached, one with that 'official' sort of walk. "Everyone stand down. Commander, I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship." He clicked his mandibles. "Your weapons will be returned on the way out. You must realise this is just a standard procedure."

There was nothing standard about him being the one to pick someone up from jail. "It's my standard procedure to keep my gun."

Warden Kuril glared at him. "Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests. We're bringing Jack out of cryo. As soon as the funds clear, you can be on your way." Warden Kuril gestured. "If you'll follow me to Outprocessing for the pickup, Commander."

"Let's go." Michael started walking.

* * *

Warden Kuril started to give them a tour the facility. "Cellblock two. As you can see, we keep tight control over the population."

Shepard saw that the entire block was covered with containment cells no doubt for the prisoners. A mechanical arm then appeared and grabbed containers and bring it over to the catwalk.

"Each prisoner's cell is self-contained, modular unit. I'd blown a few are from the airlock as an example. The ship is made of 30 cell blocks identical to this one—we housed thousands of criminals. We can put the whole place in lockdown on a moment's notice. Nothing goes wrong here."

"Maintaining a population of this size in space can't be cheap," Shepard noted.

Warden Kuril nodded. "We can cut corners that governments can't. And each prisoner brings in a fee from his homeworld. These individuals are violent, and their home planet pays well to keep them here."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What happens if the homeworld doesn't want to pay?"

"We explained that we can't maintain the prisoner without their help, so we'll be forced to release him back onto his homeworld. At an unspecified place and time."

Garrus narrowed his eyes. "So it's an extortion racket."

Warden Kuril glared. "You don't have to agree with my methods, but don't question my motives. These are despicable people and I'm keeping them locked up."

Shepard didn't want to be here any longer than he had to. "Let's get on with this."

"Bet it'd be hell trying to escape from this place," said Kasumi.

"We're in space—they have nowhere to go, and they know it. But still, we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals."

From the catwalk they saw two prisoners argued with one another, but before they could swing fists a guard activated his omnitool and the shield generator appeared pushing them away from one another.

"We have many ways to control the population." They soon reached the door and the Wwarden looked at them. "I'm going to confirm that the funds from Cerberus cleared. Outprocessing is straight down this hallway. Just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the Supermax wing." He then walked off leaving the three of them alone. "I'll catch up with you later… Shepard."

* * *

Shepard continued walking towards 'Outprocessing'. He paused at a cell where the guards were beating a prisoner.

"Is there something I can do for you?" the guard asked.

Shepard felt sick. "There's no excuse for beating a prisoner who can't fight back."

The guard glanced at him. "This is a massage compared to what his victims went through."

"This degrees you as much as him."

"We have orders."

"You're not important enough to make your own decisions?"

"I admit… I sometimes get tired of this. Does this really get anything useful?"

"Stop this. For your own sake."

The guard nodded. "Yeah. You're right." He then looked to the guard was beating up on the prisoner. "Call it off. At least for now."

* * *

They reached outprocessing to find the room pretty much empty. A single technician told them to go to the room at the end of the hall before exiting. Shepard headed to the door. It opened to reveal an empty modular cell, and Kuril's voice came over the communicator. "My apologies, Shepard. You're more valuable as a prisoner than a customer. Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed."

He exchanged a look first with Garrus, and then with Kasumi and they nodded. Shepard then pulled out his rifle. "Go to hell. I'll send you there, myself."

"Activate systems!" Kuril's voice responded.

They quickly hit behind several desks just as the guards appeared with mechs. The three of them began to open fire and while Shepard and Garrus were keeping them busy, Kasumi went behind them cloaked and struck one from behind.

Shepard then uses hacking software to make the mechs turn on the guards. Once the guard were dealt with taking down the mechs was easy and they quickly made their way out of outprocessing.

"Reinforced outprocessing! Shepard is loose!" Kuril's voice yelled.

"We have to get Jack out a cryo!" Kasumi yelled.

"What could this guy be thinking trying to lock us up?" said Shepard shaking his head.

"Clearly he's feeling his motives for money," said Garrus. "We should have seen that one coming."

"At least we still got our guns," said Shepard.

"And to no one's surprise..." Michael drew his rifle. "It's time to start shooting."

"I'm confused..." Garrus shook his head.

Michael glanced over his shoulder at him. "Confused?"

"Is this breaking into prison, or breaking out of prison?"

"It's..." Micheal frowned. "You know, that's actually a really good question."

Grunt picked up a desk and threw it at the first guards to come in the door.

* * *

They soon reached the cyro chambers which was being guarded by a lonely technician.

"Shepard is on the loose! Repeat, Shepard is loose! Get people down here!"

They open the doors and shot the technician before he could fire a shot at them and made their way to the controls.

"Shepard, if you had back control, every door on the cellblock opens," Garrus warned.

"It's the only way to get Jack out of there," Kasumi pointed out.

"I'm doing it." Shepard touched the control. "Be ready."

The mechanisms began moving as soon as he'd entered the sequence. The mech guards turned to watch, clearly preparing for a fight. There was a hiss of white gas, and the cryo unit was lifted up to reveal… a rather small woman.

Garrus blinked. "That's Jack."

Jack was heavily tattooed, bold and wearing a pair of baggy pants and a single strap to cover her breasts. She then opened her eyes and promptly tore the restrains off. As the mechs approached, she glared before a blue aura began to glow around her. She charged, and more or less went through the mechs. And then through the wall. Explosions could be heard from the direction she went.

"The dossier wasn't kidding, she is powerful," said Shepard.

"We have to get down there!" Garrus yelled.

* * *

Even the mechanical voice of the station's VI was starting to sound panicked as they fought their way through the station. Fortunately tracking Jack down was easy, considering that she smashed through every single wall and blast door that got in her way.

The prisoners were running amok in the guards were doing their best to maintain order, but they were beginning to be overwhelmed. The guards also had no problem shooting at them, though considering that they unleash every single prisoner in the cellblock Shepard couldn't really blame them that is if they hadn't shot at him before this mess.

The warden had found himself a nice, heavily guarded, elevated vantage point from which he was sniping prisoners. It even had shield generators. "You're valuable, Shepard. I could've sold you and lived like a king." He fired a shot in their general direction. "But you're too much trouble. At least I can recapture Jack."

Shepard wasn't really inclined to give him good odds on that. "Not happening! You're a two-bit slave trader and I don't have time for it."

"I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to! This is for the good of the galaxy!"

Shepard shook his head. "How's locking me up good for the galaxy?"

Instead of answering Kuril fired more shots and he was protected by a massive shield generator. Shepard signalled Kasumi to cloak and deal with them while he and Garrus cause a distraction.

Fortunately, Kuril was more focused and killing them than focusing on his shield generators and he didn't notice that Kasumi was destroying them one by one and he was far too late. Sheppard then pulled out his sniper rifle and fired a shot right in between his head.

Once they whacked up dealing with the other guards they saw see Jack in one of the corridors. The guards, weapons, and for that matter, doors, really weren't slowing her down.

"Let's move!"

* * *

Jack slid under the door before it closed and used her biotics to slam one of the guards into the window, cracking it. She then slammed the other one against the railings and that's when she noticed the ship parked outside the window. Her eyes fell upon the logo and she recognised at once.

"Cerberus."

Anger flowed into her as her biotics kicked in and she began to growl and perform angry gestures. Shepard shot the guard coming at her, and she turned toward him. He holstered his sidearm. She glared. "What the hell do you want?"

"I just saved your ass." Shepard shrugged.

"He was already dead." She gestured at the guard. "He just didn't know it. Now, what the hell do you want?"

"My name is Shepard, and I'm here to get you off this ship."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." She narrowed her eyes. "You're Cerberus."

He knew teaming up with Cerberus would have this sort of impact, but he did have the time to explain it to Jack nor did he believe that she would believe him. "I'm offering to be your friend. You don't want to be my enemy."

"I take the offer, honey. Otherwise things end badly for you, fast," Kasumi suggested.

"You show up in a Cerberus frigate to take me away somewhere. You think I'm stupid?" She clenched her fists.

He looked around before looking back at her. "This ship is going down in flames. We can get you to safety, and we're asking for your help."

"We could knock her out and take," Garrus offered.

"I'd like to see you try." Jack glared at Garrus.

"We're not going to attack her."

"Good move." Jack started walking toward him. "Look, if you want me to come with you, make it worth my while."

"Join my team and I'll do what I can for you," Shepard promised.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. I bet your ship's got lots of Cerberus databases. I want to look at those files. See what Cerberus has got on me." She folded her arms. "You want me on your team, let me go through those databases."

Shepard really didn't have the authority to do that and the only one who could was Miranda. He had a feeling that she wasn't going to like this, but they needed Jack's cooperation. "I'll give you full access."

"You better be straight-up with me." When he nodded, she gestured at the Normandy. "So why the hell are we standing here?"

"This is going to be fun," said Shepard as they made their way to the Normandy.

* * *

Just like he predicted, Miranda was not happy about the situation. She was pacing in front of Jack. "Welcome to the Normandy, Jack. I'm Miranda, Shepard's second-in-command. On this ship, we follow orders."

Jack gave Miranda a withering look before turning her gaze to him. "Tell the Cerberus cheerleader to back off, Shepard. I'm here because of our deal."

"Miranda will let you into the system." Shepard folded his arms. "Let me know what you find."

"Hear that, precious?" Jack smirked at Miranda. "We're going to be friends. You, me, and every embarrassing little secret." She glanced back at Shepard. "I'll be reading down in the hold or somewhere near the bottom. I don't like a lot of through traffic." She turned and headed for the door. "Keep your people off me. Better that way."

Miranda looked at him and shook her head before leaving.

* * *

"Mordin." Shepard nodded in greeting. "Got a minute to talk?"

"Yes." Mordin set his experiment down. "Would like that, actually. Talked about work earlier. Time with Special Tasks Group. Studying genophage. Wasn't entirely honest. Lie of omission. Also other kinds. Need to clear the air. Mission too important to keep secrets." He leaned on the bulkhead, looking out the viewport. "Work on genophage was more than just study."

Shepard folded his arms. "What was the Special Task Group doing with the krogan genophage?"

"Study at first, as I said. But uncovered surprising data." He turned back towards Shepard. "Krogan population was increasing at faster rate than expected. Krogan were adapting to genophage. Overcoming disease."

"Did the krogan evolve, or did some of their scientists develop a treatment?"

"Krogan scientists?" Mordin laughed. "Never met krogan scientists worthy of term. No. Natural evolution. Krogan physiology incredibly durable. Organ redundancy, backup systems, cellular regeneration. Genophage like any other natural hazard. Krogan evolved past it."

Shepard always believed that the genophage was what caused mistrust between aliens and the krogan. "The genophage was a terrible mistake. It nearly destroyed the krogan and their culture. Now they have a chance to recover."

"Naive viewpoint." Mordin shook his head. "Krogan too dangerous to allow unchecked birthrate. Look at Krogan Rebellions. Mordin took a few steps forward. "Personally led a science team. Geneticists, chemists, sociologists, mathematicians." He clasped his hands behind his back. "Created new version of the genophage. Released it on Tuchanka, other krogan centric areas. Restablised krogan population."

"I doubt you told many people about this, Mordin," Shepard sighed. "I appreciate you letting me know."

Mordin went back to his experiment. "Wanted you to know I'm willing to do what's necessary."

* * *

Ashley stepped back and kicked the console. Like everything else she'd tried, it failed to fix the problem. She was starting to suspect something was deliberately sabotaging the guns.

She glanced at the communicator, and considered playing the message again. Her baby sister was actually seen someone now and she hoped that Ashley could meet him on her next tour. She also got a message from Rick saying that he was on his way back from the Citadel and she was entirely relieved.

However, there may not be a colony for him to come back to if she did get the guns online. Ironically this sort of thing was more suitable for Shepard, he was the best hacker that she had ever met and if anyone could find a problem it was him. Some part of her wanted the rumours to be true that he was alive, but she couldn't believe that he would willingly work for Cerberus something clearly was going on and she didn't like it.


	9. Stealing Memory

Shepard went down to the hold to find Jack sitting there looking through the files that Miranda had given her.

"Hey," she said looking up.

Shepard needed to know with her personality would be a liability on the mission. "Tell me about you, Jack."

"I'm still finding out about me," she said holding out the datapad. "Thanks for letting me look at these files."

"If they're helping you, that's good enough for me."

Jack narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't be my buddy. You need me to kill for you. I need you for these files. Let's leave it at there. Your friends at Cerberus are into some nasty things. I'm going to find something out I can use. I just know it."

Shepard was slightly concerned with this. "What happens when you find what you're looking for?"

"I go hunting. Anyone who screwed with me pays. Their associates pay. Their friends pay. The galaxy's going to be a whole lot emptier when I'm done."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "I won't let you go on a killing spree."

Jack glared at him. "I'm here for your mission. After that, what I do is my business."

"What your history with Cerberus?"

"They raised me in a research facility," she said as she stood up. "I escaped when I was a kid. Been on the run ever since. And they've been chasing me ever since." She then pulled out a pistol. "But soon I'm going to chase them."

Shepard folded his arms. "You think about this a lot, don't you?"

"I go asleep with this. I wake up with it. Everyone I kill, I pretend it's the ones that did this to me."

Shepard looked at the hold. "You don't have to live in this pit, you know."

"It's dark, quiet and hard to find. That spells safety to me." She then emerged from the darkness and jumped onto the table. "You know, this ship is a powerhouse. You could go pirate, live like a king. I could help."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "We have to stop the Collectors. I don't have time for piracy."

Jack rolled her eyes. "When this is done, we'll either be dead or out of here, in space. With this ship." She then jumped back to the floor and looked back at him. "Think about it: lots of credits. Freedom to go wherever you want. And all the mayhem and fighting I could want."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What is it about killing that makes you so fascinated?"

"I think every time someone dies and it's not me, my chances of survival go up. Simple."

"I should go."

* * *

Shepard decided it was time to help Kasumi out with her problem. He was sitting in a sky car with her in a fancy suit that was choking his neck.

"You clean up well, Mr. Solomon Gunn," Kasumi smiled. "Hock won't know what hit him."

"I assume Solomon Gunn is my cover."

Kasumi then fiddle with few controls and holographic displays showed the history of Solomon Gunn right in front of his eyes.

"You run a small but talented band of mercs out in the Terminus Systems. Precisely the type of person Hock respects. I took the liberty of giving you a reputation. Papers, witnesses, article in Badass Weekly. Just don't start talking business with him, and you'll be fine."

"Remind me: What kind of man are we dealing with?"

"Hock's a weapons dealer and smuggler. He killed my partner and stole his greybox. Other than that, he's not so bad. Rich, charismatic, willing to crack open a man's skull to get at the neural implant inside."

"I take wearing this getup for a reason," said Shepard gesturing to his outfit.

"You would look really out of place as a society party in armour, don't you think?" She then turned to look at him and smiled. "You look great. You should wear the stuff more often."

"Now is probably a good time to fill me in on the details."

Kasumi nodded. "You have in waiting patiently." She then brought off several holograms began to go through the plan. "Our friend Hock is throwing a party for his closest friends. A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters and mass murderers you will ever want to meet, all bringing gifts as a tribute to the man himself. Our tribute is a lovely statue of your old friend, Saren, rendered with loving detail and filled to the brim with our weapons and armour. You can keep your pistol, as long as it's concealed. They won't hassle you have a sidearm.

"Once inside, we'll make our way to Hock's vault door, somewhere in the back of the ballroom. Then we chased the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there, waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. And we just waltz into the vault and take back Keiji's greybox. And I'll finally get a chance to say goodbye."

Shepard noted the tear trickling down her cheek. "You've worked really hard on this. Keiji must have meant a lot to you."

"Was I that obvious?" she asked looking at him. Shepard merely shrugged. "Keiji's greybox holds a lot of priceless, personal memories. It's all that remains of who he was. But the secret he discovered is dangerous. I will bring you here if it wasn't."

Shepard nodded. "This ought to be interesting."

"That's what I'm going for."

* * *

Minutes later they landed as a large mansion that belonged to Hock.

"This is our stop," said Kasumi as Shepard closed the door behind them.

They were already unfolding the statue of Saren and one of the guard was standing it.

Kasumi looked at Shepard. "After you, Mr. Gunn."

They soon approached the steps, but one of the guard stopped them.

"Just one moment, sir. There seems to be an issue with the statue," he said as he looked down at his omnitool.

"Is there a problem here?" said a voice.

They looked up to see a man walking down the steps and Shepard was willing to bet that this was Hock.

The guard shook his head. "No, Mr. Hock. Just doing a scan."

Hock then looked at him. "I don't believe we have met. Donovan Hock."

"I've heard a lot about you. Name's Solomon Gunn."

Shepard outstretched his hand to shake his, but Hock kept his hand firmly behind his back. "And I've heard a lot about you. You been very busy lately, if the extranet is to be believed."

"Sir, the scanners aren't picking anything up," said the guard.

Hock look to the statue. "I don't think our guests would come all the way from Illium to cause trouble. Do you?"

The guard merely shrugged.

He then turned to look back at Shepard. "You may pass through, Mr Gunn, with my apologies. But I would ask your companion to remain outside. You understand, I hope."

Shepard could tell by looking at the man there was no convincing him. "No problem. You're the host."

"Enjoy the party."

They moved out of earshot to prevent anyone from overhearing them.

"Well, that didn't go as I expected," said Kasumi.

"Any ideas why he'd sent you away?"

Kasumi shook her head. "No. We've never met each other in person. And no one knows what I look like. Just watching his ass, I'm sure. I can't blame them."

Shepard was an excellent hacker, but he doubt he had the skills to hack into Hock's vault. "What do we do now?"

"We go on with the plan? You'll just have to do all the talking. I'll stay out of sight and stick with you the best I can."

Shepard nodded and they made their way to the party and as they walked up the stairs Kasumi cloaked. "We'll keep radio contact in case something goes wrong."

* * *

They soon found the vault in question and it was impressive and as planned the statue was inside. Kasumi said that she could hack into the system, but she needed a few things. First she needed Hock's voice print, his password and a sample of Hock's DNA. Finally they had to cut the power to the barrier.

They had to hack into the radio system, killing two of Hock's guards the process just so they could enter into his private quarters to find samples of his DNA. They also managed to locate his password and getting Hock to talk was unsurprisingly simpl. Then they just simply cut the power and made their way back to the vault.

Kasumi managed to get the vault open. "I'll check the security cams. Go ahead and get dressed."

Shepard was dying to get out of his suit and into something more comfortable. As he strapped on his armour Kasumi fiddled with the security cams to create an endless loop. Sheppard then approached her and get handed her weapons and they began to descend into the vault.

When they ended inside they found a massive amount of artwork from every single culture in the known galaxy. Somehow he even managed to acquire the head of the Statue of Liberty, how he accomplished that Shepard had no idea.

Kasumi looked at it amazed. "So this is Hock's vault. Very nice."

As they looked through the exhibits Shepard found two copies of Kassa Locust. It was a gun that killed two known Presidents after which they became illegal and production ceased.

Kasumi kept on looking for the exhibits in her eyes widened. "Oh my god. There it is!"

Her eyes fell upon a box that laid on the table opposite the Kassa Locust. Kasumi activated her omnitool and began scanning it and downloading the information from it.

"Don't bother, Ms Goto. It's codelocked," said a voice.

Suddenly appearing above them was the holographic image of the man himself, Hock. Shipper knew the heist was too easy and it was clear that Hock had been expecting them or at least Kasumi.

"I had a feeling that was you at the door. I knew if it really was you, you'd get away through anyway."

Kasumi merely smiled. "You know me. I don't like to disappoint."

"I need what's in your greybox, Kasumi. You know I'm willing to kill you for it. I'll admit your still are impressive. You got into my vault like I'd left it open. But you're still going to die, screaming, just like your old friend."

Shepard then pulled out his pistol and shot a vase.

"Noooo!" Hock screamed.

Shepard smirked. "Have I got your attention?"

Kasumi laughed. "That shut him up."

He then looked down at her omnitool and smiled, he had completed the download.

"Kill them!" Hock ordered.

The vault door opened and several guards made their way towards them. Shepard noted that they were watching what they were shooting so they would not damage anything within the vault.

With this overwhelming it was not difficult for Shepard and Kasumi to get the best of them. After which Kasumi brought up her omnitool.

"Checking blueprints… There's a landing pad to the east," she said gesturing to the open door. "Let's get out of here."

Shepard nodded and reached for his radio. "Joker, bring the shuttle in. Now!" He then looked back at Kasumi. "Is this part of the plan?"

Kasumi merely shrugged.

* * *

They made their way through the storage rooms which was full of weapons and other illegal goods. They also ran into several more guards they did everything in their attempt to stop and even several mechs at them.

"So how often you are invited to one of these parties?" Kasumi asked as she fired a pistol from behind a crate.

"Not often," Shepard admitted as he hacked the mechs to turn on the guards. "But everything I usually do ends up this way."

"You must have an interesting life."

"Sometimes a little too interesting."

* * *

As they made their way through deeper into the storage areas they heard Hock's voice over the intercom.

"Don't fight me, Kasumi," he said in an angry voice. "You know what happened to your boy toy when he fought back."

That hit a nerve. "You don't talk about Keiji like that! Murderer!"

Shepard merely watched as she cloaked and killed ever guard that got in his way. Sheppard then made a mental note never to get a Japanese girl angry.

* * *

It took some doing but the eventually managed to get outside and then they heard a noise. Seconds later a shielded gunship and no sooner had it appeared fired at them.

"Incoming! Get down!" Shepard yelled as they jumped for cover.

"You could have done this the easy way, Goto," said Hock's voice from the gunship. "Allow me to show you the hard way."

Hock kept on shooting above his gunship while mechs and guards tried to overwhelm their position. What made matters worse was the fact that every time they shop down Hock's shields he would have tied behind cover and restore them and then attack again.

Together Shepard and Kasumi were able to take down both the mechs and guards, but that matters very little if they got shot down by the gunship. Kasumi what is the gunship lowered its how to do repairs.

"Got a clean shot! Here we go!" she said.

Then before Shepard could stop her Kasumi ran and Hock began to fire at her. She moved with such grace that she dodged every single shot and skilfully jumped from pipe to pipe and moved like a ninja to the main one.

She then ran across it and jumped right onto the gunship and activated her omnitool. Hock tried to shake off, but she held on long enough to hack into the shields and disable them. She then jumped onto the cockpit and smiled at Hock, as he tried to maintain control over the gunship.

She then somersaulted and landed back onto landing platform. "Shields down! Let's spare that thing apart."

Shepard then pulled out a rocket launcher and fired a shot right into the gunship engine bay causing it to explode. They could hear Hock yelling from inside the cockpit and seconds later watched as it crashed to the ground in a massive explosion.

* * *

Moments later they were on the shuttle and heading back to the Normandy. Kasumi was holding her greybox and she nodded Shepard, who nodded back.

A holo terminal then appeared in front of Shepard and began to access it so that he could see what Kasumi would see when she access the greybox. Kasumi then inserted the greybox into the shuttle's systems and began to access Keiji's memories.

When she opened her eyes she found Keiji standing in front of her. "Kasumi. If you're seeing this, it's because I'm dead." He then brought off several images the time they spent together. "The information we found is all here. It's big, Kasumi. If the Council ever got wind of this… the Alliance could be implicated.

Kasumi however was more interested in viewing a memory of her and Keiji spending a night together.

"Kasumi, I… I encrypted the information to keep it safe. And I uploaded the encryption key to your greybox, so no could get the whole package. But I'm dead, and if anyone knows about this… then I've made you a target, my love. I am so, so sorry."

A tear trickle down Kasumi's face. "Keiji…"

"I know you, Kasumi," said Keiji. "You'll want to keep these memories forever. You don't need some neural implant to know I'll always be with you. Please, Kasumi. Destroying these files. There's nothing more I can do to protect you."

Kasumi then ran up to a holographic image of Keiji with tears in her eyes. "I… I can't do that! This is all that's left!"

"Goodbye, Kasumi. I love you."

Kasumi wrapped her arms around the holographic image of Keiji.

* * *

Seconds later she found herself in the shuttle bay looking at Shepard, who had her the entire thing.

"Is there any way we can just destroy the information?" he asked.

Kasumi shook her head. "No. Keiji's a master at encrypting files. He laced the information into with memories. You can't get one without experiencing the other."

Shepard could see that this was hurting her and for the mission he needed her top form. "If it's important to you, keep it. Just make sure you're ready to live with the consequences."

Kasumi nodded. "Yeah, I am. I'll stay off the grid. No one will know I exist." They then sat down on the shuttle she smiled Shepard. "I think I want this. Thanks, Shepard."

* * *

Rick had just returned to Horizon and he found Ashley already there to meet.

She saluted. "Welcome back to Horizon, sir."

Rick shook his head. "Ash, you don't have to go formal on me."

"I have to set an example, sir."

Ashley then led him to the settlement is on the corner of his eye he could see that several people were giving him dirty looks.

"How are things on the Citadel?" she asked.

"Same old same old, the Council still won't register the Reapers of threat. However, I can confirm that those rumours about Shepard are true."

"How can you be certain, sir?"

"Because I met him."

Ashley came to a stop. "You… you did?"

"Yes, as has the Council. They made a deal with him that he is able to keep his Spectre rank as long he stays inside the Terminus Systems."

Ashley shook her head. "But Cerberus could be behind all these disappearances."

"Shepard claims that it's the Collectors that are behind it in their working for the Reapers," said Rick.

"They could be lying to him," said Ashley crossing her arms.

"Maybe, maybe not, but the fact of the matter is that whether it's the Collectors or Cerberus we need this gun operational to protect this colony."

"I'm working as fast as I can, sir. But some of the colonists aren't helping matters."

Rick sighed. "Well, tell them that the sooner we get this this gun ready the sooner we can leave. Because I have a feeling that trouble is heading our way."


	10. The Warlord

Shepard was going over the last dossier which contained information of a krogan warlord by the name of Okeer. He had fought in the Krogan Rebellions and was known for combat and strategy expertise.

The planner that he was riding on was controlled by the Blue Suns again only be described as a garbage planet. The place was covered in junk, but it was also the ideal place to hide they were already making their way down to the planet on the shuttle.

No sooner had they landed that they were fired upon.

"The dossier doesn't say if Okeer is on this planet by choice." Shepard glanced back at his companions. "Assume hostiles."

They started in, and he heard a voice come over the loudspeakers. "There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed! Perfection is your goal."

"Canned orders over loudspeakers?" Jacob shook his head.

"Stay focused. We're looking for a krogan warlord."

* * *

Shepard signalled to hold fire, then walked towards the wounded mercenary. "Shit. Shit! It won't stop bleeding…" The man started getting up. "I'm gonna…" He glanced up and saw them. "Son of a bitch!"

"Doesn't look that bad, actually." Garrus glanced at Shepard.

"He doesn't need to know that." Shepard shrugged

"I knew it wasn't berserkers. Not at range. You're mercs. Or Alliance. I'm not…" The man staggered a little. "I'm not telling you anything."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I've got a nice application of medi-gel ready to go. But if you'd rather I just keep walking…"

"Son of a…" The man glared. "I just, I don't know anything. I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old krogan up there, he's really been cleaning house lately." He glanced around him. "Jedore hired him to make her an army, but the krogan he creates are insane, so we use them for live ammo training. It's all crap; I don't get paid enough to goddamn bleed out!"

A voice came over the radio. "Outpost Four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack."

Shepard leaned towards him. "I want your friends got. Understand?"

The man gulped. "Uh, patrol? The last group… dispersed. Lost sight five minutes ago."

"Dispersed? Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show."

The man grumbled. "You asked for a report, you got it. Dispersed."

"Understood. Returning to the labs."

The man looked up at Shepard. "There. You see? I'm helping."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "Have you seen Okeer? Does he know about all of this?"

"We can't go in the labs, but everyone sees what happens when the krogan come out. I've shot hundreds. They're crazy. Mindless. Anyone up there, they know what's going on."

"If you start limping now, you might find a shady spot before you bleed out."

The man wasted no time stumbling away. "Shit. Shit."

"The scare was a nice touch." Miranda smiled glanced at the fleeing man.

"I thought so."

* * *

He held up a fist to stop the others from shooting as the krogan turned towards them. It approached Michael slowly. "You…" It stopped a pace away. "Are different. New. You don't smell like this world. Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill. But you…" It tilted its head. "Something makes me speak."

"Night cycles?" Garrus shook his head. "Seven days!"

"They must breed them full-size, ready to kill." Shepard looked the krogan over. Its armour was battered, but functional. Its face was hidden by the helmet. He was fairly sure krogan was male though. "Now much improvement over regular mercs if they need training."

"Bred… to kill." The krogan shook his head. "No. I kill because my blood and bone tells me to. But it's also why I was flushed from glass mother. Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemy that threatens all my kind. But I failed, even before leaving glass mother. That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here."

"How can you speak if you're only a week old?" Shepard asked.

"There was a scratching sound in my head, and it became the voice. It taught me things I would need: walking, talking, hitting, shooting. Then the voice said I was not perfect and the teaching stopped. And now I am here."

Garrus looked to Shepard. "It was thought enough to be judged. We still don't know what the goal was, thought."

"I don't know, but I am not perfect."

"Okeer's voice? Did he speak to you while you were in your tank?"

"I heard the voice. Not like now, with ears. Inside. I called it 'father'. It like that. But it was disappointed. I am not what it needs need to be."

Garrus rubbed his chin. "A lab with krogans. Sounds like an attempt to cure the genophage."

The krogan shook his head. "Cure? Cure was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore."

Shepard frowned. "How did you disappoint the voice?"

The krogan shrugged. "I don't know. It was decided before I left tank mother. I was not perfect."

"If mercenary was correct, krogan prone to mental instability," said Mordin.

The Krogan shrugged. "I don't know that. But I am not perfect."

Shepard shook his head in disbelief. "I destroyed Saren's cure. How does Okeer expect these krogan to ignore the genophage if not by curing?"

Garrus looked as confused as he was. "No idea. Doesn't look like he's had much success so far."

Shepard couldn't understand why this krogan listen to him, but not the mercs. "Can you show me the laboratory? I need to speak to Okeer."

"The…" The krogan nodded. "Glass mother. She is up. Past the broken parts. Behind many of you fleshy things. I will show you." He walked over towards one of the piles of wreckage, then grabbed a chunk of bulkhead. Shepard eyes widened slightly as the krogan simply picked it up and moved it out of his way. "Grr!" He tossed the metal aside.

"Glad he's friendly." Garrus clicked his mandibles.

"You fleshy things are slow when big things are in your way." The krogan stepped aside to let them pass.

"You could have run or try to fight your way back to the labs," Shepard frowned. "Why stay here?"

"I am waiting. The voice told me. If they came, I fight. But I will not run, and I will not follow. I am not perfect, but I have purpose. I must wait until called. Released."

Slowly, Shepard nodded. Then he drew his sidearm, and headed in.

* * *

They had to fight their way through several berserker krogan and Blue Sun mercs until they reach the lab. Shepard found an asari standing there and recognise them immediately.

"I shut down the security cams as soon as I saw it with you," said Rana Thanoptis. "Never thought I'd say it, but I'm glad it's you shooting up the place. Sorry. Rana Thanoptis. You let me go when you destroyed Saren's lab on Virmire. Had to outrun a nuke in a utility pod, but it's still a second chance."

Shepard definitely remembered her and narrowed his eyes. "I assume you have a good reason for being at this lab?"

"Don't worry, I'm not wasting the chance you gave me. My work here—strictly beneficial. Not for the mercs. Jedore's on a standard power trip. But Okeer is trying to do something good, I can tell. Even if his methods are a little…" She gestured to the corpses on her table. "Extreme. Everyone deserves a second chance. Right? And sometimes giving one pays off. I take care of my debts."

Maybe she knew what was going on. "What is Okeer trying to do here?"

"It's complicated. Jedore wants a private army, but Okeer mostly ignored her. He's running the project for his own reasons. I created a mental imprint routine to educate his tank-bred, but most don't get through it. He dumped them for some reason. He wants to help his people, but he's not looking for a genophange cure, and he's not going for numbers. That's all I know."

Shepard doubted that she knew any more part of him wanted to kill her, but she was unarmed and she had helped him. "Finding you in a place like this makes me think letting you go was a mistake. You don't want."

Rana nodded. "We agree on that. Don't worry, I plan on staying as far away from anything to do with you as possible. Now you don't mind, I'm gonna run like hell before you blow up the place or something. I know how you work."

Shepard stood aside as Rana walked out of the room.

"That's gonna bite you in the ass someday," said Zaeed.

"Believe me, I already feel it," Shepard.

* * *

They carried on through the labs and eventually found a krogan at his workstation.

He glanced at them. "Here you are. I've watched your progress." He turned toward them. "It's about time. The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs."

"I take it you're Okeer," Shepard guessed. "You don't seem particularly cage… or a grateful that I'm here."

"You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard is not a sign of gentle change." Shepard remained silent. "Surprised? All krogan should know you. I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire."

He narrowed his eyes. Virmire was not exactly a place he wants to revisit. "I'm sure you're eager to retell the story."

"Such a tale!" Okeer gestured as he spoke. "Saren, the Spectre traitor, threatens the return of the krogan horde by curing the genophage, undoing the gentle genocide of the turians and salarians." He waved a hand. "But before Saren can deliver his endless troops, in rides Shepard, securing victory through nuclear fire. I like that part. It has weight."

"I did have a lot of room for finesse," Shepard pointed out. "Is there'd been any other solution, I'd have considered it."

"But I approve." Okeer walked toward him. "Saren's pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one these mercenaries have also made." He turned towards the window, lifting his hands. "I gave their leader my rejects for her army. But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here."

Mordin shook his head. "Personal issues irrelevant. Here for the Collectors."

"I see." Okeer turned back toward them. "Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere." He looked toward a tank which contained another of the krogan. "I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier. With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer. To be ignored."

"Your search for the perfect soldier created a lot of failures," Shepard pointed out. "You don't care about them?"

Okeer scoffed. "I failed no one. My rejects are exactly what Jedore asked for. She simply lacked the ability to command. They are strong, healthy and useless to me. I need perfection. If a few thousand rejected, so be it. My work will purify the krogan. We will not be restored—we will be renewed."

That explained why the krogan talk to him, he knew he had the authority of command. However, Okeer was not acting like normal krogan he had met. "I thought the krogan ideal was a return to the numbers that threatened the galaxy."

"We will not need numbers. My soldier is a template. It is a great threat than all the phantom siblings that would have been at its flank. The galaxy still bears the scars of the horde. But it will learn to fear the lance."

"Your methods are extreme, but you know how to deconstruct the threat," said Shepard reluctantly. "Will you help us?"

Okeer rubbed his chin. "Perhaps I can strike a deal to secure passage. But my prototype is not negotiable. It is the key to my legacy."

Before Shepard could reply, a voice came over the loudspeakers. "Attention! I have traced the krogran release. Okeer, of course." Okeer went to the window and looked out, shaking his head at whatever lay on the other side. "I'm calling 'blank slate' on this project. Gas these commandoes and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks!"

And gas started coming in through the vents.

"She's that weak-willed?" Okeer walked to a console. "She'll kill my legacy with a damned valve!" He looked over his shoulder. "Shepard! You want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She'll try to access contaminants in the storage bay."

"You could just start over, like she plans to. What's the big deal?"

Okeer shook his head. "This tank is pure. It involved as much trial as data. Starting over will not duplicate it. It must survive." Okeer looked toward the tank again. "Jedore will be with the rejected tanks. Kill here. I will…" He leaned on the tank. "Stay and do what must be done."

* * *

They encountered Jedore and mercs had to fight her and several crazed krogan at the same time. To make matters worse she had unleashed a heavy mechs that was shooting everything in sight.

"For once I wish these missions went off without a hitch," said Shepard as he fired over his shoulder.

"At least it keeps things interesting," said Garrus killing a merc with his sniper rife.

"Sometimes I wish for quiet life," said Shepard as Jacob slammed a krogan against a wall.

Mordin managed to take down the heavy mech with some freeze ammo and cause a big enough explosion knocked several mercs off their feet. Zaeed fired his pistol killing two krogan with just two shots. Shepard finished things off by killing Jedore once her shields were down.

"All clear," said Shepard.

EDI's voice came over the comm. "Shepard, the lab alarms coincided with a systems failure. The remaining lab systems are unprotected, and I have gained limited access. According to lab scanners, the room is flooded with toxins, and Okeer's personal life signs are failing rapidly. I recommend haste."

They started moving.

* * *

"You gave me time, Shepard. If I knew why the Collectors wanted humans, I would tell you." Okeer's voice came from the recording. The warlord himself lay unmoving on the ground. "But everything is in my prototype. My legacy is pure. This…" The voice coughed. "One soldiers, this grunt. Perfect."

Shepard looked over the tank. Garrus shook his head. "Why would someone so fanatical sacrifice himself for one krogan?"

"Delusional." Mordin shook his head. "Unlikely one krogan, however strong, could have impact Okeer wanted. Am…" Mordin tilted his head. "Almost certain."

"Comforting."

"Suggest leaving it." Mordin shrugged.

"I understand your concern with krogan, but a 'pure' krogan could pack a hell of a punch." Shepard touched the tank. "We can always use another heavy hitter."

"If he'll help," said Garrus crossing his arms. "I don't anyone's asked for his opinion."

Shepard reach for his radio. "Normandy? Okeer is a no-go. But we have a package that needs retrieval." He looked back at the tank. "And he's a big one."

* * *

Miranda was pacing. "Bringing the krogan in for study makes sense, but I have concerns about waking it."

Jacob looked across the table at her. "Yeah, you've said that a few times now."

"A normal krogan is dangerous. This one was created, and likely educated, by a madman."

Shepard folded his arms. "I see everyone's enjoying the new paperweight. Concerns?"

"We don't know anything about it, Commander." Miranda put a hand on her hip as she turned to face him.

"I know. You don't find that interesting?"

"Krogan fight well at close quarters. Perhaps waking him in a confined space wouldn't be prudent," Miranda advised.

"Noted." He let his arms fall to his sides. "The cargo hold is safe enough while I decide what to do with him."

* * *

Shepard made his way down the cargo hold and found the tank with the krogan inside.

"The subject is stable, Shepard. Integration with onboard systems was seamless," said EDI.

Shepard examined the tank. The krogan inside was at least as big as Wrex, though the fact that the head plate hadn't fused together left him wondering if it'd yet reached full growth. "Can he see anything in there? Does he know where he is?"

"Unlikely. Current neural patterns indicate minimal cognition." EDI's voice answered. "Barring ship-wide power loss, the nutrients in the tank could sustain him for over a year."

"Stand by. I'm going to open the tank and let him out," Shepard warned.

"Cerberus protocol is very clear regarding untested alien technology."

"He's either a very powerful addition to the crew or a time bomb. I'd rather deal with it now."

"Very well, Shepard. The controls are online. The switch—and the consequences—are yours."

He took a deep breath, and hit the switch. Fluid flooded out of the tank, and a few moments later, the krogan fell to the ground. It coughed up the liquid before rising. The krogan narrowed his eyes, and then bull rushed Shepard into the bulkhead. "Human. Male. Before you die, I need a name." His elbow pressed into Shepard neck.

"I'm Commander Shepard, and I don't take threats likely. I suggest you relax."

"Not your name. Mine. I am trained. I know things, but the tank…" The krogan shook his head. "Okeer couldn't implant connection. His words are hollow. Warlord, legacy, grunt…" The krogan nodded. "Grunt. 'Grunt' was among the last. It has no meaning. It'll do." He narrowed his eyes at Shepard. "I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

Krogan diplomacy. Fine, he could work with that. "Why do you want me to try to kill you?"

"Want? I do what I am meant to—fight and reveal the strongest. Nothing in the tank ever asked what I want." He slowly nodded. "I feel nothing for Okeer's clan or his enemies. That imprint failed. He has failed." Grunt shrugged. "Without a reason that's mine, one fight is as good as any other. Might as well start with you."

"I have a good ship and a strong crew, a strong clan. You'd make it stronger."

"If you're we can choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you," Grunt warned.

"Our enemies are worthy. No doubt about that," Shepard assured.

"Hmmm. Hmph. That's…" Grunt nodded. "Acceptable. I'll fight for you."

"I'm glad you saw reason." Shepard shifted the pistol in his hand, where it was pressed against Grunt's ribs.

Grunt looked down at it, and then laughed. "Ha. Offer one hand, but arm the other." He released Shepard and stepped backward. "Wise, Shepard. If I find a clan, if I find what I…" Grunt shrugged again. "I want, I will be honoured to eventually pit them against you."

* * *

Shepard then went down to the hold to see how Jack was settling in.

"What are you up to?" he asked.

"Still checking out your ship," she said getting to her feet. "Wouldn't mind putting her through her paces when you're not around."

Shepard frowned. "I doubt Joker would appreciate that. At least not while we're working."

"Relax." Jack then leaned against the wall on the far end of the hold. "Joy-riding doesn't have the thrill it used to. Besides, if I wanted it, I'd take it."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "That so?"

"I've been around. Ran with gangs, wiped out some gangs, joined a cult." She then gestured to her bold head. "Kept the haircut. I learned how to survive and not be a victim."

"It's hard to imagine you in a cult," Shepard frowned. "That usually involves a lot of rules."

"I was looking for answers. Drugs and sex and going to a better place." She shook her head. "A better place… right. It was all about money. They wanted to take the colony, shake the suckers down to fund their spread. And guess who was their ace in the hole? They were just like the rest. Didn't give one shit about me."

"What did you do with them when you found out?"

Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you think?"

Shepard didn't want to know. "You must admit some good people, too."

"Everybody wants something. And because of that, everyone is fair game. Murder, assault, kidnapping, drugs, stealing, arson. Done it all. And that's the boring shit." Shepard merely shook his head. "Piracy, theft of military craft, destruction of space station and vandalism. That was a good one."

Shepard just merely blinked and began to wonder if it was a wise decision to release her from her prison. "Did you ever wonder if you could have done things differently?"

"No."

"Shouldn't you?"

"There's no reason not to be alive, but I am." She then turned to face him allowed her eyes. "You know why? Instinct. It works for me so far and I'm not going to change."

Shepard was about to leave, but Jack spoke up. "Hey, Shepard. No one's ever asked me about this shit. It's strange to talk about."

Shepard can continue to walk. "It usually is."

* * *

Ashley sighed as the newly replaced module failed to work. It had to be sabotage. There was no possible way that many bad parts could happen to be shipped. She rose, and went looking for the colony's leader.


	11. Horizon

Shepard stepped into the holo-communicator to your face-to-face with the Illusive Man.

"Shepard. I think we have them. Horizon - one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems - just went silent." The image of the planet appeared on a nearby screen. "If it isn't under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?"

"Not yet." Though it appeared progress was being made.

"Let's hope he works well under pressure. There's something else you should know." The Illusive Man took a drag from his cigarette. "One of your former crew, Ashley Williams, is stationed on Horizon as well your old friend Rick Ryder."

Shepard's eyes widened. "Last I knew, Ash was Alliance. Why is she out in the Terminus Systems?"

"Officially, it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the colonies. But they're up to something." The Illusive Man settled back in his chair. "And if they sent both Commander Ryder and Chief Williams, it must be big. I suggest you take it up with them."

"The Collectors just happened to pick a colony with one of my former crew and an old friend?" Shepard shook his head. "I don't buy it."

"It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you. Especially if they're working for the Reapers." The Illusive Man crushed out his cigarette. "They might be going after them to get to you."

"We should send a message to the Citadel. The Alliance can give us reinforcements."

"Not until you investigate. I don't want the Alliance getting in our way." The Illusive Man set his arms on the rests of his chair. "Once you have the situation under control, I'll send the message personally."

"Send the coordinates. We'll head straight there."

"This is the most warning we've ever had, Shepard. Good luck." The image dissolved.

"Joker—set a course for Horizon. I've got to go see the professor."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

* * *

Shepard pushed worry out of his head as he walked toward the lab. He was not entirely successful. Mordin was looking at one of the bugs inside an enclosure. "Tell me you have something."

Mordin smiled. "Yes."

Mordin then showed him the schematics of the new improvements were made to their armour.

* * *

"Lilith!" Ashley caught up to the colony manager. "We've got a problem."

She nodded to her. "Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix?"

Part of him wondered if it was colonists sabotaging the system. They hadn't exactly made her for the Commander feel welcome. "Those defence towers are useless if we don't figure it out. And Commander Ryder is worried that will be attacked soon."

"Sorry, Chief." She shook her head. "Getting our comm systems back online takes priority."

"Yeah. Surprised people haven't tried to blame that one on me, Commander, too."

"People out here don't trust the Alliance." The look she gave him was sympathetic. "It's nothing personal." She stopped talking as a strange humming noise drifted toward them.

They both looked around for the source as a crowd began to gather. Ashley caught sight of something in the clouds, and drew his rifle to use the sight as a telescope. Something was coming through. Something big. "Get everyone to the safehouse." A cloud of something could be seen swarming their way. "I'll cover you. Run!" The crowd began to flee. She started firing. "Hurry!"

"Commander, your suspicions were right," said Ashley over the comm.

"I know, I've always another distress signal but I think that ships blocking us," said Rick's voice. "The best we can do is get people to safety now and—"

The message got caught off and Ashley turned to see Lilith stumble. She moved to help her up, and one of the creatures landed on her neck. Before she could brush it away, it had stung her. She yanked it off and tossed it aside before lifting she rifle again. And then she froze, but not out of fear it was like she was paralysed for something.

* * *

Shepard stepped out of the shuttle. The colony below looked quiet. That probably was not a good sign. The Collector vessel towered above, a much worse sign. And Ashley and Rick was down there somewhere. He looked to Mordin. "We're groundside. Mordin, you sure those armour upgrades will protect us from the seeker swarms?"

"Certainty impossible. But in limited numbers, should confuse detection, make us invisible to swarms. In theory."

"In theory?" Garrus sighed. "That sounds promising."

"Experimental technology. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Have to test them in person. Should be exciting."

"Not the word I would use," said Shepard.

"After you," Garrus gestured.

* * *

They fought their way through the first problem. Jack flung the last of the husks through a crate. Shepard bent to examine one of the others. "Those things look like the husks the geth used on Eden Prime."

"I thought the geth got that technology from Sovereign" Garrus nudged a corpse with his foot.

"Shit." Jack glared. "So the Illusive man was right. The Collectors answer to the Reapers."

"This certainly does confirm it," Shepard nodded.

Jack lifted one of the Collectors into the air, and Shepard put a round through it. It was nice, having a strong biotic backing him up again. Grunt simplified a shot gun at anything that moved that wasn't human and he seemed to be enjoying himself.

* * *

There were more husks and Mordin stopped to scan one. "Husks have human characteristics. Possibly repurposed colonists?"

"No." Garrus glanced at Shepard before responding. "The geth impaled their victims on giant spikes to turn them into husks. But we haven't seen any. The Collectors must have already had the husks. They want the colonists alive for something."

They wanted the colonists alive. He just needed to remember that. As small a comfort as it was. "The Collectors must be experimenting on the colonists. What are they up to?"

Mordin frowned. "Fascinating question. Answer probably unpleasant."

"Guess we'll find out when we stop them," said Grunt.

"The Collectors aren't getting away with more victims. Let's move out."

* * *

The colonists lay unmoving, but a quick medical scan showed they were still alive. He gestured to his companions, and they continued forward.

"Peaceful." Jack shrugged. "Usually takes a lot of chemicals for me to get this kind of quiet."

"All these empty buildings…" Garrus shook his head. "It's unsettling."

Shepard picked up some kind of gun off a dead Collector. He'd have Jacob examine it back on the ship.

He fired off a round into the glowing Collector before the transformation could be completed. A few heartbeats later, another of the Collectors started to glow. "Assuming direct control." The strange voice echoed over the battlefield.

Jack lifted a crate and flung it at the Collector. It stumbled back, and Garrus, Grunt and Shepard fired. The Collector collapsed into ash. "That was different."

"Some form of mental control," said Mordin scratching his chin. "Most likely under the control of a Reaper."

* * *

"Looks like some type of statis field." Garrus clicked his mandibles as he examined one of the sets of frozen colonists. "Leaves victims helpless, but fully aware."

"They've been like this a long time." Shepard shook his head.

"These Collectors have no honour," said Grunt angrily. "They'd rather use cowardly tactic to get what they want instead of engaging on the battlefield."

Shepard had to agree can only hold that they will be only paralysed for a short time. There was still no sign of Ashley. And no sign of fighting other than what they'd left behind.

* * *

The bunker was locked. It looked solid, the kind of place someone might try to hold against attack. Shepard bypassed the lock, and entered, looking around. At first glance, it appeared empty. Whoever was hiding there was doing a bad job of controlling their breathing. "Company." He drew his sidearm. "Get out here. Now!"

A man peeked out from behind some equipment. Definitely human. Shepard shook his head, and lowered his gun. "You're…" The man stepped out. "You're human! What are you doing our here? You'll lead them right here!"

"You had to hear them trying to get in." Shepard walked towards him. "It seems like it's hard to hide from the Collectors."

"Those things are Collectors? You mean…" The man's eyes were just about falling out of his head. "They're real?" He started pacing. "I thought they were just made up. You know—propaganda. To keep us in Alliance Space." He shook his head. "No! They got Lilith. I saw her go down. Sten, too. They got damn near everybody!"

His blood went cold. "I need to know what I'm up against. Tell me everything you remember."

"We lost our comm signals a few hours ago. I came down to check on the main grid. Then I heard screaming. I looked outside and there was…" The mechanic waved a hand. "Swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched just froze. I sealed the doors." He made a frustrated sound. "Damn it—it's the Alliance's fault! They stationed that Commander Ryder and Chief Williams here and built those defence towers. It made us a target!"

Shepard shook his head. "Tell me more about this Alliance reps."

"Chief Williams? Heard she was some kind of hero or something." The man shrugged. "Didn't mean nothing to me, though. Would've rather she stayed back in Council Space. As for that Commander Ryder, hear he's the human Counsellor's right-hand man or something. Don't mean squat to me."

Ashley and Rick being here just didn't make any sense. "Any idea what they were doing on Horizon?"

"Supposed to be helping us get the defence towers up and running." The man frowned. "I got the feeling they was here for something else. Spying on us, maybe."

Spying? Ashley? Rick?He needed to focus. "Tell me about the colony defence towers."

"A gift from the Alliance. High powered GARDIAN lasers. Supposed to keep hostile ships from landing near the colony." The man gestured. "Had to build a massive underground generator just to give it enough juice. Only we couldn't get the targeting systems online." He spat. "So the Alliance gave us a giant gun that couldn't shoot straight. Stupid sons-of-bitches."

Shepard was starting to dislike this guy. "Why do you think this is the Alliance's fault?"

"We're just a small colony. Nobody bothered us before we started building those damn defence towers and drew attention to ourselves. I left Council Space to get away from the Alliance. Nothing good ever comes from getting mixed up with them."

Everything good in his life had come from the Alliance. "The Collectors are targeting remote colonies. The Alliance was trying to help."

"I don't need their help. Too many strings attached." The man waved a hand dismissively. "Those reps said he was just here to get the towers online, but mark my word—there's more to it."

"If you have defences we can use them against the Collector ship!"

"You'd need to calibrate the targeting system first. It's never worked right…"

"Garrus. Think you're up to it." Shepard glanced over his shoulder.

"Just tell me where." Garrus's mandibles clicked.

"Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. Pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base." The man pointed.

"It's probably just better if you stay out of the way."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too." The man went to a control panel. "I'll let you out, but I'm locking the door behind you. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck. I think you're going to need it."

* * *

As they got closer towards the ship they found less and less people. Clearly they had interrupted the Collectors when they were busy loading people into their ship, but they haven't got there sooner to stop them from collecting the people there were close to the ship.

They had a clear their way through towards the targeting system and it was well protected. Jack was able to toss husks away like they will rag dolls and Grunt practically charged at the Collector troops, knocking them to the ground.

Motorway was clear Shepard made his way to the platform. "Normandy? Do you copy?"

"Joker here. Signal's weak, Commander, but we got you."

"EDI— can you get the colony defences towers online?"

EDI's voice came back over the communicator. "Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified, but it will take time to bring the towers to full power." There was a momentary pause. "I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output."

"The Collectors will try to stop it," said Grunt. He then smiled. "Good."

"Got any more helpful tips?"

"Just one. Enemy reinforcements closing in. I suggest you ready weapons."

Shepard drew his rifle. "All right, arm yourselves we need to hold them off as long as we can."

* * *

For a moment, he thought they were clear. Then a giant flying robotic bug swooped down towards them. It landed, and blasted at Garrus's location, forcing the turian to dive for cover.

Shepard grabbed the gun he'd picked up, and fired it at the thing. The ray it shot out cut through the thing's barrier and started damaging it. It landed, and glowed with some kind of protective shield. Shepard immediately switched positions to get a better angle. As soon as the shield came down, he fired again, creating a smoking hole in the thing.

"That one impressive gun," said Garrus as a shot of the head of a Collector.

"I know," said Shepard staring at it.

* * *

It took some doing but they finally managed to get the defence system online and at once the defences began to fire on the Collectors ship. They watch as its engines ignited, and lifted off at the defence system kept on firing.

"There's no reason to stay." Garrus shook his head. "Most of the colonists are on board. They got what they came for."

"No!" The mechanic came racing toward them. "Don't let them get away!"

"There's nothing we can do. They're gone."

"Half the colony's in there! They took Egan and Sam and…" The man paced. "And Lilith. Do something!"

If there was anything to do, he'd be doing it. "I didn't want to do end this way. I did what I could."

"I did my best. You just hid in your bunker."

Garrus stepped to his shoulder. "More than most, Shepard!"

"Shepard?" The mechanic frowned. "Wait. I know that name." He turned back to Shepard. "Sure, I remember you. You're some type of big Alliance hero."

"Commander John Shepard." Shepard heart skipped a beat at the sound of the new voice. "Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre. Savior of the Citadel." He saw Ashley walking toward them. Alive, and apparently unharmed. Ashley turned to look at the mechanic. "You're in the presence of a god, Delan. Back from the dead."

The mechanic sneered. "All the good people we lost, and you get left behind. Figures."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing," said a new voice. Shepard turned and found Rick walking towards them and like Ashley he was unharmed. "It wasn't for your pals sabotaging the gun we probably could have saved them all."

Mechanic glared at him and walked away. "Screw this. I'm done with you Alliance types."

Rick looked to Ashley and Shepard. "I better check on the colonists see who we lost."

Ashley walked up to Shepard breathless and then hugged him. "And I thought you were dead, Shepard. We all did."

Shepard then pulled away. "You don't sound too happy to see me. Something bothering you, Ash?"

Ashley folding her arms. "Yeah, something's bothering me. I spent the last two years believing you were dead! We had something, Shepard. Something real." Tears were flowing down her eyes. "I… I love you. I thought you were dead. I almost… How could you put me through that? Why did you try to contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"

This was all going wrong. "Not my choice. I spent the last two years in some kind of coma while Cerberus rebuilt me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. Ashley actually backed away from him. "You're with Cerberus now?" Her eyes went to the Garrus standing to Shepard's left. "Garrus, too? I can't believe the reports were right."

"Reports?" Garrus shook his head. "You mean you already knew?"

"Alliance intel thought Cerberus might be behind the missing human colonies. They got a tip this colony might be the next one to get hit." A tip. Ashley shook his head. "I went Anderson, but he wouldn't talk. But there were rumours you weren't dead. Worse; that you were working for the enemy."

A tip and rumours. "Cerberus and I want the same thing—to save our colonies. That doesn't mean I answer to them."

Ashley walked towards him, anger on her face. "Do you really believe that? Or is that what Cerberus wants you to think?" Ashley fists were clenched. "I want to believe that you were alive… I just never expected anything like this. How could you just turn your back on us all? You betrayed the Alliance… Anderson… Rick. You betrayed me."

"Ash, you know me." Better than anyone else ever had. Shepard shook his head. "You know I'd only do this for the right reason." He gestured at the colony. "You saw it yourself. The Collectors are targeting human colonies. And they're working with the Reapers."

"I'd like to believe you, Shepard." Ashley took another deep breath. "But I don't trust Cerberus. And it worries me that you do." She shook her head. "What did they do to you? One of their behind it? What if they're the ones working with the Collectors?"

He searched for words. Garrus saved him from having to speak. "Damn it, Williams. You're so focused on Cerberus that you're ignoring the real threat."

Shepard stared at the woman in front of her. "You're letting how you feel about their history getting in the way of the facts."

"Or maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they save you. Maybe it's you." Ashley glared. "Doesn't matter… I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier. It's in my blood." She waved a hand. "I've got to report back to the Citadel. They can decide if they believe your story or not." Ashley started to walk away.

Shepard looked at her. "I could use someone like you in my crew, Ash. It'll be just like old times."

"No, it won't." Ashley stopped before turning to look back at him. "I'm no fan of aliens, but Cerberus has a history of being extremist. I'll never work for group like that." She hesitated. "Goodbye, Shepard. And be careful."

Shepard watched her go, then lowered his head. He hit the button on his communicator. "Joker—send the shuttle to pick us up. I've had enough of this colony."


	12. Haestrom

"Shepard. Good work on Horizon. Hopefully, the Collectors will think twice before attacking another colony." The Illusive Man tapped his cigarette into the ashtray.

"It's not a victory. We interrupted the Collectors, but they still abducted half the colony," Shepard pointed out.

"That's better than an entire colony, and more we've accomplished since the abductions began. The Collectors will be more careful now, but I think we can find another way to lure them in."

Another way. He'd known, but it was nice to have confirmation. "Ashley said the Alliance got a tip about me and Cerberus. Was that you?"

The Illusive Man took a drag from his cigarette. "I may have let slip that you were alive. And with Cerberus."

Shepard felt calm and cold. "You risked the lives of my friends, my crew, and that entire colony? Just to lure the Collectors there?"

"A calculated risk." The Illusive Man shrugged. "I suspected the Collectors were looking for you, or people connected to you. Now I know for certain." He straightened. "I told you I wouldn't sit and wait while the Reapers and Collectors gather strength." He waved a hand. "Besides. They would've hit another colony eventually. And without a way to predict which one, they would've abducted everyone."

"We have to make sure they don't abduct anyone else."

"I want the Collectors start for that very reason," the Illusive Man assured That's why you're doing this, Shepard." The Illusive Man leaned back again. "I'm devoting all resources to finding a way through the Omega 4 relay. We have to hit them where they live. Your team will need to be strong…" He shifted in his chair. "As will their resolve. There's no looking back. The same goes for you. Can I assume you've put your past relationships behind you?"

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "None of your damn business."

"If it affects the mission, better you should leave it behind." The Illusive Man tapped ashes from the end of the cigarette. "Shepard. Once we find a way through the Omega 4 relay to the Collector homeworld…" He took another puff. "There's no guarantee you'll return. To have any hope of surviving, you—and your entire team—must be fully committed to this."

"Let me worry about them. You just find us a way to the Collector homeworld."

"I just want to be up front about your odds. You'll need everyone at their best. I've forwarded three more dossiers. Keep building our team while I find a way through the relay. And be careful, Shepard. The Collectors will be watching you."

Shepard turned to see Jacob watching the tail end of the conversation. "I guess we're really gonna do it. Hit the Omega 4 relay, take the fight to the Collectors in person." Jacob nodded. "Looking forward to the action. After seeing what those bastards did on Horizon, though…" Jacob folded his arms. "Makes you think."

"They're powerful, but we've got a few tricks for them. If anyone can stop them, we can."

"No argument there, Commander. Horizon just hit me home. What we're doing up against." Jacob let his arms fall to his sides as he stood up straighter. "Gonna go take care of a little unfinished business. I imagine everyone else is, too—getting some closure, you know?" Jacob nodded before leaving the room.

* * *

Shepard was up the mess hall having lunch and looked up to see Kelly sitting down opposite him.

"I saw a report on Horizon, Commander," she said. "What you did was amazing. The report mentioned that Ashley Williams was there. How did it go?"

"We've been through a lot. I wish we could have had more time together."

"Do you have strong feelings for her?" Kelly asked curiously.

"Ashley is an incredible woman. I didn't like saying goodbye."

Kerry looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry. Parting ways with someone so close is never easy."

Shepard nodded. "I appreciate that, but I'll be okay."

* * *

Shepard went down to the cargo bay to talk to Grunt and had a little conversation which involved the inference that Okeer had put into him. Useful information like knowing anything you could sever the spine of humans, asari and salarains. It was discovered that Grunt felt a bit easy with what Okeer had did to him.

He then went down to talk with Jack and apparently she didn't understand that he just wants to get to know. She talked a bit about how she got some of her tattoos and who she hung with before getting captured.

Shepard was walking away, but Jack spoke, "Wait. My turn with the questions. People usually walk by now. Why are you really asking all these things? You eyeing me up? Because of this is just about sex, maybe you should just fucking say so."

"I'm not looking for that," said Shepard.

Jack frowned. "I don't get to. You don't want anything, but you keep coming around."

Shepard shook his head and walked off.

* * *

The dossiers were waiting in his mail. The name on one caught his eye, and he immediately opened it before hitting the button on his communicator. "Joker, set a course for Haestrom."

A moment later Joker's voice came back. "That's in geth territory, Commander."

"I know. We're going in to pick up Tali."

"Copy that."

* * *

Haestrom was a really hostile environment that orbited a red giant already making their way down to the planet in a shuttle towards a city that the quarians was inhabited when the controlled the system.

EDI's voice came over the communicator. "Shepard, our data indicates that Tali is somewhere in these ruins. There is considerable geth activity, and an environmental hazard."

"All right, you had the lady proceed with caution." Shepard nodded as the shuttle landed.

They did get very far when they had to cross a littered area and was they can feel their shields been burnt away by the sun's radiation.

"I'm having serious issues with my shields." Garrus muttered.

"So we'll fight from the shade," said Grunt. "But no hiding."

"Personal stainless any more than we have to be, especially in a firefight," said Shepard.

"Wish I brought some sunblock," said Zaeed.

* * *

"Emergency log entry. The geth are here. I've stayed to buy the others time. Anyone who gets this, find Tali'Zorah. She and that data are all that matters. Keelah se'lai."

He bent down to examine the corpse, and the radio crackled to life. "OP-1, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar, come in, over."

Shepard picked up the radio. "This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. Can we provide assistance?"

There was very little hesitation from the other voice. "Patch your radio into Channel 617 Theta. We were on a stealth mission. High risk. We found what we were after, but the geth found us. They've got us pinned down. Can't get to our ship, can't transmit data through the solar radiation."

"What's the status of your team? How many of you are left?"

"We were a small squad. Dozen marines, plus the science team. We're down to half-strength now. Made the synthetic bastards pay for it though."

"How are you holding up? We can be there in a few minutes." He checked his ammo load.

"Take it slow and careful. Direct sunlight fries your shields all to hell. We're bunkered down at base camp across the valley. I left Tali'Zorah at a secure shelter, then doubled back to hold the chokepoint." He looked out and saw fire in that direction. "Getting Tali out safely is our top priority. If you can extract her, we'll keep them off you."

"You've got confirmation that the geth haven't reached Tali yet?" Shepard began gesturing for his team to move.

"Affirmative. Left my best men with her. When you get here, you can talk to her on the comm. Every marine on this rock is sworn to protect Tali'Zorah. Long as one of us is still drawing air, she'll be safe."

Shepard nodded. "Hold position. We'll hit their back ranks."

They'd gone about two steps when the voice came over the radio again. "Wait! Watch your ass! We've got a dropship coming in!" The geth vessel fired, taking out the marines guarding the door. And what was worse, one of the stone columns collapsed to block the door. "Crap." The voice on the other end of the radio apparently agreed. "Doorway's blocked! Grab the demo charges in the buildings nearby! Use them to clear a path!"

Shepard looked at them. "Right, grab those charges. We have to hurry, because Tali could be in trouble. Move!"

* * *

Zaeed shut down several geth troopers all on his own and Shepard wish that the man would consider his teammates before jumping in. They'd shifted their positions a little. The two geth that survived Jack's initial biotic blast were smashed to bits by Grunt who charged in on her heels. Garrus and Shepard took up higher positions and sniped anything that tried to regroup, while Miranda and Jacob picked up stragglers and providing backup with her biotics. Kasumi uses her cloak to getting behind the geth and attack them from behind. Shepard wish that Mordin was with them, but they needed him on the ship to do his research.

Sheppard then heard Tali's voice from one the computers. "We need a core sample to get a timeline on the rate of radiation increase, but our equipment keeps dying on us. Shepard once used a mining laser to clear some rubble back on Therum. Maybe I can do something similar with demolition charges."

"It seems she come quite the confident commander," said Garrus.

"She still have a lot to learn," said Shepard smiling. "Still it's nice that she's using her experience in tough spots."

"Found the charge." Kasumi held it up.

"All right, let's set it and find the other…" Shepard glanced at the doorway. "And there's more geth."

* * *

"It's next too impossible to get accurate solar measurements. The radiation keeps burning out our equipment." Tali's recording spoke to them. "This sun shouldn't be like this. It was stable a few hundred years ago. Stars don't die that quickly."

"Sounds like Tali found herself some real trouble." Garrus looked down at the recording.

"This data about this sun ageing to quickly is troubling," said Miranda.

"Something to figure out for another time," said Shepard. "Right now we need a rescue her from me geth."

* * *

"Quarian architecture." Garrus looked around. "There's two words you don't expect to hear together."

Jack nudged a body with her toe. "Why would the quarians risk death by coming here?"

Shepard found another recording. "Our ancestors walked these halls with uncovered heads. The sun must have been normal back then. So much space. Walls of stone…" She took a deep breath. "It's amazing. I wish my friends could see it. I wish Shepard were here."

He stared at the recording for a moment, then heard her voice again. "Tali'Zorah to base camp. Come in, base camp." His head came up, and he saw the communicator. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Tali, it's Shepard. I'm sorry. Everyone here is dead. Any survivors must have fallen back."

"We knew this mission was high-risk. Damn it." The static-filled hologram visibly jumped. "And what are you doing here, Shepard? We're in the middle of geth space!"

Shepard shrugged. "I was in the neighbourhood. I thought you might need a hand."

"Thanks for coming, Shepard. It means a lot to hear your voice. Kal'Reegar and what's left of the marines got me into the observatory. From where you are, it's through the door and across the field." She gestured. "I got the data I needed, and I'm safe for now, but I've got a lot of geth outside."

"Would it help if I brought in the Normandy?"

"Doubtful. These buildings are centuries old. If you bring down heavy fire, this whole place could collapse on us."

"It looks like somebody sealed the door against the geth, and the console is damaged. Can you get it open on your end?"

"Let me see…" She looked down at something off screen, then nodded. "Yes, I can do it. Here. Should be unlocked now." She looked back up at him. "Be careful, Shepard. And please, do what you can to keep Reegar alive."

* * *

Shepard stepped around the corner, and then quickly pulled ran out of the way just as the colossus incinerated the area they'd been standing a moment ago.

"What was that," said Miranda.

"Colossus!" said Garrus looking out the window.

"This is why I follow you, Shepard." Grunt's voice was ecstatic. "Big things."

"Over here." Another voice called to them. "Get to cover."

They quickly turned the corner and found a lone quarian hiding behind cover.

"Squad leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. We talk on the radio before that dropship arrived. Still got no idea why you're here, but this ain't the time to be picky." Suddenly there was a huge explosion close by. "Tali's insider over there." He gestured towards the building opposite them was surrounded by geth. "The geth killed the rest of my squad, and they'd trying to get to her. But I've been able to do is draw their attention."

"How many geth are out there?"

"The geth are near platoon strength, but the colossus is the worst part. It's got repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself. I can't get a clear shot while it's down like that. I tried to moving closer, one of the bastards punch a shot clear through my suit."

"How bad is your suit damage?"

"Combat seals climbed down to isolate contamination, and I'm swimming in and antibiotics," Reegar assured. "The geth might get me, but I'm not going to die from an infection in the middle of a battle. That's just insulting."

Reegar then began to give them details on the battlefield, it didn't look promising. However, none of them were quarians which meant they didn't had to fear of infection. He then told them about the colossus and the fact that it had the repair protocol. What was worse when it curled up it was protected by the buildings.

Seconds later there was another explosion this time a lot nearer. "We need to get to Tali. Got any ideas?"

"Just one. I'm not moving so well, but I can still pull a trigger, and I've got a rocket launcher that the sun haven't tried yet." He said holding his rocket launcher. "You move in close. I'll keep the colossus busy, maybe even drop its shields. With luck, you'll be able to finish it off."

Shepard shook his head that plan would involve him getting himself killed and he made a promise to Tali. "You've done enough, Reegar. You don't need for your life away."

"What an asking for your permission. My job is to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot."

Reegar got his feet and was prepared to fire another rocket, but Shepard pulled him away. "We don't have enough people on our side to take one for the team! Stand down!"

"I'm not going to stand there while you run into enemy fire! They kill my whole squad!"

"And if you want to honour your squad, watch my back! I need you in case they bring reinforcements!"

A shot fired over their heads, a shot no doubt meant for Reegar. "All right, Shepard. We'll do it your way. Hit them for me. Keelah se'lai."

"Okay, Kasumi…" Shepard took a couple of grenades from Garrus. "Please leave the grenade on the colossus." He tossed one of the grenades to his left, and she came back into view as she caught it.

"Right." She nodded. "Going dark."

* * *

They fought their way across another field of debris and geth. At least there was plenty of cover. Shepard sniped another drone, then watched as it exploded to take out two others. "Get me some cover."

Miranda nodded and flung up a barrier. Shepard rolled, drawing fire from the juggernaut. As soon as it turned to track him, Garrus and Zaeed popped out of cover to open fire. It exploded, and the shrapnel bounced off the barrier.

"Kasumi should apply to the grenade by now," said Shepard.

"It might only be enough to damage its shields," said Garrus.

"We have the moving closer and attack it from its side."

They moved into position just in time to see an explosion near the colossus. When the smoke cleared it was still standing, but heavily damaged. It then curled up so that you can repair itself.

"Now!" Shepard yelled.

At once they all emerge from behind their cover and began firing on colossus. With its shields down and unable to fire back they were able to destroy it in a massive explosion.

* * *

"Just a second. I locked the door to keep more geth from getting inside." Tali's voice came over the radio. "There, that should do it. Just let me finish this download…"

Shepard opened the door just as Garrus and commander caught up to them. He could see the rest of his team coming. "Tali…"

"Thank you, Shepard. If not for you, I would never have made it out of this room." She turned to face him. "This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress, but I couldn't let anyone take my place on something this risky."

"Whatever the reason, I'm glad I could help." He looked her over, but she didn't appear wounded. "Once you deliver that data, I could use you on the Normandy."

"I promised to see this mission through." Tali nodded. "I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the Fleet. And if the admirals have a problem with that, they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die."

"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma'am." Reegar was leaning heavily on Jacob, but he was up and moving.

"Reegar! You made it!" said Tali relieved.

"Your old captain's as good as you said. Damn colossus never stood a chance."

"If need by, the Normandy can get you out of here, Reegar," Shepard offered.

"The geth didn't damage our ship. Long as we get out of here before reinforcements show up, we'll be fine."

Tali took a step closer to Shepard. "Actually, I won't be going with you. I'm joining Commander Shepard."

Reegar didn't argue. He just nodded. "I'll pass the data to the Admiralty Board and let them know what happened." He turned his face to Shepard. "She's all yours now, Shepard. Keep her safe."

* * *

"Cerberus saw footage of you in action, Tali'Zorah." Jacob nodded as Tali entered the briefing room. "We're looking forward to having you on the team. Your engineering expertise will really benefit the mission."

Tali paced behind Shepard. "I don't know who you are, but Cerberus threatened the security of the Migrant Fleet. Don't make nice."

"That's why you're here, Tali. I need people who aren't Cerberus—people I can trust." Shepard nodded to her.

"I wasn't part of what happened to the Migrant Fleet, but I understand your distrust. I hope we'll get past that as we work together." Jacob leaned on the table.

She ignored him completely as she turned back to Shepard. "I assumed that you were undercover, Shepard. Maybe even planning to blow Cerberus up." He really hadn't ruled out that possibility. "If that's the case, I'll loan you a grenade. Otherwise, I'm here for you. Not for them."

"If it helps, check out the Normandy while you're here. We've gotten a few upgrades." He waved a hand.

"I'll get Tali-Zorah the necessary security clearance to access our systems." Jacob nodded.

"Please do." Tali's voice rather frighteningly sweet. "I can't be part of your team if I don't know how the ship works." She started to walk past, then looked up at Shepard. "Remember, Shepard, these people thought enslaving Thorian creepers and rachni was a good idea. I'll be in engineering."

She was to the door when Jacob spoke up. "Don't forget to introduce yourself to EDI, the ship's new artificial intelligence."

Tali turned around slowly, and her eyes glowed behind the mask as she focused them on Jacob. She stared for just a moment before turning and continuing onward.

* * *

Shepard made his way down to the engine rooms to see how Tali was adapting to a situation.

"Shepard! What can I do for you?" she asked when he engine room.

"Have you got time before?"

Tali looked over towards Daniel and Gabby and then gestured him to the drive core so they couldn't be overheard.

"We really didn't have time to chat while taking out geth on Hasetrom, did we?" Tali shook her head. "I can't believe so many people died. Thank you again for getting Reegar out alive. All for the data about stars blowing up. I hope the Admiralty Board get some use out of it."

"Have you heard any word about Kal'Reegar?" Shepard asked. "Did he survive his injuries?"

"He sent me a message. It looks like you'll make a full recovery." Tali rubbed her arms. "Any time you get a simple puncture, it's a matter of luck. Reegar got out with a relatively minor infection."

Tali then went on to explain how the Admiralty Board operated and how it was one of the major powers among the people. The admirals focus on defence or needing immediate action and major criminal charges like treason. The other was the Conclave that made most of their laws and Fleet decisions.

"Having any trouble settling back on the Normandy?"

"I like the quiet," said Tali sadly. "I miss the old faces, though. Pressly, Engineer Adams, all of them. It doesn't seem right having Cerberus in charge of this ship. Are usual working with them is the right thing to do?"

Shepard looked at her curiously. "I caught some tension back on Freedom's Progress and again when you first came aboard. What happened between servers and the quarians?"

"They attacked one of our ships, the Idenna," she said bitterly. "It seems they were attempting to kill or control a young human biotic who was on the Fleet. I don't really know the details. I do know that Cerberus made an enemy of the quarian people."

"Does it look like they're pulling strings, Tali?" said Shepard. "I'm not working for them. They're working for me."

Tali folded her arms. "So you ordered the listening devices and tracking beacons that are all over this ship? I know you need resources to fight the Collectors, but be careful, Shepard."

"I fully expect them to betray at some point. And we'll be ready."

"I'm glad to hear that, Shepard. Just let me know how I can help." They then made their way back to the engine room. "For now, I should get back to work. Thanks for coming by."

* * *

"So, I take it that things then go well between you two," said Rick as he checked his datapad to check on their supplies.

Ashley certainly looked furious as she approached. "How did you think it went?"

"Ash, I understand you're furious, but you have to accept why you joined Cerberus," said Rick.

"He turned his back on the Alliance!" Ashley yelled bewildered.

"Technically the Alliance turned their back on him," Rick reminded blowing his datapad. "Ash, both the Alliance and the Council denied the Reaper threat and pretty much disgraced him. You know how stubborn he is, he'll do anything to stop the Reapers. But he needs supplies, resources and clearly Cerberus has given him that."

"Are you knew defending them?"

"Shepard doesn't trust Cerberus, but he needs them to accomplish his mission. I doubt he is very happy with the arrangement either."

"Still can't believe it's him," said Ashley rubbing her forehead. "I can't believe you came back from the dead."

"Nor can I, but correct me if I'm wrong if Jesus didn't come back from the dead to save mankind?" said Rick with a raised eyebrow.

Ashley blinked. "You know really comparing him with Jesus are you?"

"No. I'm just saying that God moves in mysterious ways." He then looked back at Ashley. "And I know you feel bad for what you said to him."

Ashley placed her head in her hands. "I admit that I'm happy that he's a life, but this is quite a shock."

Rick nodded. "Take my advice and sent a message. I expect he's as heartbroken as you are and he can do with some comfort in knowing that you miss me."


	13. The Prodigal

Shepard looked over the last two dossiers. Both were on Illium. He told Joker to set a course, he then triggered emails and soared to a surprise that Ashley had sent him one. It merely said that she was glad that he was alive, but she couldn't go with he was going. Once the mission was over Shepard but apologised to her properly, but he had focus on the mission.

When he went into the XO office he found Miranda look a little flustered.

"Shepard, I find myself in the unpleasant position of asking you for help," she said. "I don't discuss personal matters… but this is important."

This Shepard was surprised was an understatement. Something must be seriously wrong if Miranda was asking for help. "Miranda, you're one of my crew. Tell me what's on your mind."

"You remember what I told you about father… building eight dynasties?" she asked. "There was another reason I went to Cerberus for protection." She then got to her feet and approached him. "I have a sister. A twin. And he's still haunting her. Cerberus has kept her safe. Until now. She's living a normal life on Illium, safe and hidden for my father."

"So you think your father has tracked her down."

"Precisely, Commander." Miranda nodded. "My sources indicate he knows that she's on Illium. I've tried to keep her head in without impacting her life, but I'm out of options." She then began to pace up and down looking immensely frustrated. "He's too close. I need to relocate my sister's family before it's too late."

"What you know about your sister?" Shepard asked.

"She's my genetic twin. We're identical." She then looked at him with a firmed and determined look. "But she deserves a normal life. And she's going to get it, no matter what."

"What do you need me to do?"

"My father is extremely persistent. I'd like to go to Illium when services moving the family to make sure none of his agents get too close. My contact's name is Lanteria. She'll be waiting for us in the lounge near the Nos Astra docking bay."

They were already heading to Illium and Shepard couldn't see the fault of making a pitstop. Especially if it involves protecting a young girl's family from a deluded father.

* * *

They soon landed on Illium and Shepard joined his team. They hadn't gone far into the docking station when an asari flanked by two guard mechs approached them. "Welcome to Nos Astra, Commander Shepard. We've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit." This was probably the warmest welcome Shepard had experience in his entire career. "My name is Careena. If you need information about the area, it would be my pleasure to assist you."

"Who instructed you to waive the fees?" Shepard asked curiously.

"The order came from Liara T'Soni, who paid all fees on your behalf." Careena touched her omnitool. "She also asked that I direct you to speak with her at your convenience. She's near the trading floor."

Shepard asked Careena more about the planet and discovered that it was a free-trading world. She also advised not a sign, because contract terms were more relaxed here than on other planets. She also told them that you could buy indentured servants, but assured that all of them had voluntarily agreed to terms of service in order to pay off debt or avoid imprisonment. She also said the contract must look after their servants and their duties agreed upon before signing.

"You said Liara was here? Was is she doing?" Shepard asked.

"Liara is one of Nos Astra's most respected information brokers. Nos Astra is based upon trade. Information is a valuable currency, and Liara has done quite well. As I said, you'll find near the trading floor. She was looking forward to seeing you."

* * *

Shepard decided to go see Liara and found in the middle of a conversation with a hologram.

"Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have. I'll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind."

Shepard stood in the doorway, staring at Liara. Okay, apparently he'd missed a few things in the last couple years. She then turned around and saw Shepard standing there.

"Shepard!" Her eyes widened. "Nyxeris, hold my calls." And then he was being hugged. "Shepard…" A small smile came to his face as he hugged her back. "My sources said you were alive, but I never believed… It's very good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Liara. How are you doing?"

She turned away and looked out the window. "I'm doing well. I've been working as an information broker." She shrugged and turned back to him. "It's paid the bills since you…" She trailed off. "Well, for the past two years. And now you're back, gunning for the Collectors with Cerberus." She sat down at her desk.

He sat down across from her. "That's not exactly public knowledge."

"Neither is you being alive, Shepard. Information is my business now. And if you need information on finding people, I'm happy to help."

"There's an asari named Samara here on Illium. Do you know where I could find her?"

"Samara…" Liara glanced at her desk for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. She arrived recently and registered with Tracking Officer Dara." She looked back up at Michael. "You can find Dara at the transportation hub."

"Why would Samara have to register with a tracking officer? Is she a criminal?" Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"No, in fact she's quite the opposite. Samara is a justicar, one of an ancient sect of asari warriors. Dara can tell you more."

"I'm looking for Thane Krios. He's supposed to be here on Illium."

"The assassin. Yes, he arrived here a few days ago. My sources tell me he may be targeting a corporate executive, Nassana Dantius. He contacted a woman named Seryna. Seryna has an office in the cargo transfer levels. Perhaps she can tell you where Krios is."

Shepard shook his head. "That was all just off the top of your head?"

"I'm a very good information broker, Shepard." She smiled. "The world of intrigue isn't that different from a dig site. Ecept that the dead bodies still smell."

"Thanks for the help. That's all I needed to know."

"Of course. If there's anything else I can help you with, let me know."

"What about you, Liara? I could use you help on this mission."

"I can't, Shepard. I'm sorry. I have commitments here. Things I need to take care of."

"What kind of things do you need to take care of? Are you in trouble?"

"No, no trouble. But it's been a long two years. I had things to do while you were gone. I have debts to repay." Got to her feet and she wasn't meeting his eyes. And kept turning away from him. "Listen, if you want to help, I need someone with hacking expertise, someone I can trust." She finally looked at him again. "If you could disable security at key points around Illium, you could get me information I need. That would help me a great deal."

"If it will help you, I'll take care of it."

"When you hack one, a server will open somewhere nearby for a short time. You can download data from there, if you hurry." She smiled. "Thank you, Shepard. This my help me pay a great debt."

* * *

Shepard then made his way over towards the lounge that Miranda had pointed out. He then had a nasty experience with the lounges owner, who slapped him across the face. Apparently one of his people was harassing her staff and demanding that he turnover the deeded to the place.

Wondering what was going on Shepard made his way to the bar and groaned, because he recognised the man instantly. It was Conrad Verner and he was wearing N7 armour.

"That's right! Anybody messing with me will answer to my good friend—" Conrad then stopped when he saw Shepard approaching him. "Commander Shepard?"

"Hey, if you know this idiot, you can rein him in before I slap his ass with a singularity?" said the bartender and Shepard could tell that she wasn't kidding.

"Shepard?" Conrad stared. "Is that really you? It's me, Conrad Verner! We met on the Citadel? I wanted to become a Spectre? You're alive! Oh, this is the happiest day of my life!"

Shepard rubbed his forehead. "Conrad… why are you acting like me?"

"Well, you were gone, right? And the galaxy still needed protecting. So I decided to finish what I started. In your honour."

"How do you get that armour?"

"Oh, they made some pretty convincing replicas these days, if you're willing to pay. Getting the whole getup was pretty expensive, but my wife was really supportive. She even paid for my shuttle fare off-world!"

Somehow that didn't surprise Shepard one bit, in fact it was still hard to believe that, Conrad had actually had a wife."

"Why were you trying to get the deed to this place?"

"This place is actually a friend of a red sand dealer. I need to take it over to crack the ring!"

The bartender stared at him. "What? Who the hell told you that?"

"The owner of that weapons stored near the carport! She's an undercover cop! She told me about it when I introduced myself."

The bartender rolled her eyes. "Listen, crap-for-brains: first, we don't sell red sand. Second, red sand is legal on Illium! You just need a licence!"

Shepard shook his head. "I'll talk to this undercover cop and figure out what's going on."

"Thank you," said the bartender with relief. "If I kill annoying customers, it usually causes property damage. That comes out of my pay."

"Just let me know if you need any help, Shepard!" said Conrad.

* * *

Shepard made his way over towards the arms dealer, who didn't recognise him and assumed that you are one of Conrad's friends. Using his silver tongue Shepard managed to convince her to go talk to the bar owner to hand over the deed.

She fell for it and even given him a discount to a store and then made her way over towards the bar.

Shepard waited about ten minutes before returning to the bar and found the weapons dealer being arrested. Conrad then walked over to him slightly confused.

"What happened?" he asked. "The undercover cop from the weapons kiosk just got arrested!"

Shepard wanted to tell him the truth, but was fearful for his reaction. "She wasn't a cop. She was a deep-cover operative from a terrorist cell. I'd never have found her if not for you."

Conrad looked up. "Really?"

"Really," said Shepard placing a hand on his shoulder. "You did a great job, Conrad. Now please, go home. Let me take it from here."

"Can do, Shepard. And thanks. It's really good to have you back."

The bartender was grateful for him to get rid of Conrad. Handout the bartender was in fact a matriarch, which was surprising. Apparently none of the asari agreed with her ideas of having their children working early on or creating their own mass relays.

She also had a complicated child hood, because her father was a krogan, who fought in the Rachni Wars, and her mother thought in the Krogan Rebellions. Apparently her mother didn't tell her father until she was a hundred years old and they ended up killing each other. She also seen how quite a few children including one from another asari as the father.

* * *

Miranda then led Shepard towards her contact, who was an asari by the name of Lanteia.

"Ms Lawson, I'm glad you made it," she said stretching up. "We've had a complication."

Miranda's eyes widened. "What happened? Is Oriana all right?"

"She's fine," Lanreia assured. "But… you listen a man named Niket as your trusted source? He contacted me, warning that your father has sent Eclipse mercenaries to make a sweep. He suggested that mercs might be watching for you personally. He'd offered an escort Oriana's family to the terminal instead."

Shepard looked at Miranda. "You didn't mention about, Niket."

"He's a friend," said Miranda. "He and I go back along way…"

"Do you want to bring in any of your other Illium contacts, Ms Lawson?" Lanreia asked.

Miranda shook her head. "No. You and Niket are the only two I trust on this."

Shepard looked at Miranda. "It's your sister, Miranda. What do you want to do?"

"Lanteia, we'll follow Niket's suggestion. Shepard and I will take the car and draw their attention. Have Niket escort the family to the shuttle. Give him full access to the family's itinerary, just to be safe."

Lanteia nodded. "Understood, Ms Lawson."

Shepard looked back at Miranda. "So the plan is for us to get shot down by Eclipse while your sister gets the safety?"

"Eclipse will be under orders to take my sister alive. They won't risk anything that could kill us."

"I'm ready whenever you are, Miranda."

Miranda nodded and they made their way towards the car. "Thank you, Shepard. I appreciate this. I hadn't planned on Eclipse… but they never planned on you."

* * *

They soon got in the car with Jacob and Garrus. Shepard wish they can get the others in on this, but the car only hold four. A few seconds later they discovered that Eclipse had been ready for them, because they had bought gunships with them.

"Damn it!" Miranda cursed. "Eclipse mercenary gunships. They'll be dropping troops in the cargo areas."

The gunships descended into the cargo areas and the Eclipse mercenary stand-off them well armed and shielded.

"Put us down enough cover behind them," said Shepard pointing at some crates.

"Let's hope they really do want to take us life," said Miranda as she bought the car down towards the cargo area.

Suddenly the Eclipse mercs fired at them. They didn't stop until the merc leader stepped forward.

"Hold fire. I said hold fire, damn it!" he commanded.

However the damage had already been dealt and the car landed on the ground hard and skidded to a halt. Fortunately none of them were worse for wear and the exit the car made their way to the Eclipse merc.

"I got this," said the merc leader.

"Since you're not firing yet, I trust you know who I am," said Miranda.

"Yeah. They said you'd be in the car," said the merc leader. "You're the bitch that kidnapped boss' little girl."

"Kidnapped?" Miranda shook her head. "This doesn't involve you. I suggest you take your men and go."

"Think you got it all lined up, huh?" the merc leader scoffed. "Captain Enyala's already moving in on the kid. She knows about Niket. He won't be helping you."

Shepard frowned. "Wait, Miranda. You said she was your twin sister."

"That what she told you?" the merc leader stared. "No, this crazy bitch kidnapped our boss baby daughter. He's been looking for her for more than a decade."

Miranda looked at Shepard uneasily. "It's complicated, Shepard. We share the same DNA, just not the same birthday."

"You took the baby girl from the richest guy in the galaxy, lady. I don't know what your damage is, but you're not get away with it."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You're not getting Miranda sister. If you push this, it'll go badly for you."

The merc leader folded his arms. "Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away. But this whole time we've been talking, my men have been lining shots up. When I say the word, we unleash hell on your squad. So I suggest you walk away nicely, unless you want things to get ugly."

Shepard's eyes then fell upon a crane that was lifting a tank of fuel over the heads of a group of mercs holding sniper rifles. He gave a sideways look to Miranda and she nodded.

Shepard then punched the merc leader in the gut and Miranda shot the merc next to him. Shepard then shot the crane holding the fuel tank which fell upon the snipers and exploded. Garrus and Jacob and shot the remaining Eclipse marks with their rifles.

"They really need to setup a better ambush," said Shepard.

"Strange how they knew we were in the car," said Garrus.

"We need to get Oriana and Niket fast," said Miranda.

* * *

They made their way through the cargo bay and eventually reached an elevator. Then they heard a voice and turned to find that it was coming from a radio from one of the following mercs.

Miranda picked it up. "Hang on. I've got one of their radios. I'll patch us in, see if we can get an idea what we're up against."

She then made her way back to Shepard and gave them an apologetic look. "Shepard… I think I owe you an explanation. Oriana is my twin, genetically. But my father… grew her when I was a teenager. She was meant to replace me. I couldn't let my father do that to her to her what he did to me. So I rescued her. She's almost a woman now."

Shepard frowned at her. "I understand choosing to go on your own way, but you stole a child from her father."

"If you knew my father, you would understand. I was the first one he made. I was only the first kept. I was brought up with no friends, pushed to meet impossible demands. I wasn't a daughter to him. I was… I didn't know what I was. Oriana has a normal life. I made the right decision."

After hearing that Shepard couldn't really blame her for taking Oriana away from that. "If Eclipse knows where Oriana is, they'll be moving in on her soon. We need to hurry."

Miranda nodded. "Agreed. I'm a bit worried about what the merc said. If they got to Niket somehow, this is going to be harder than I'd planned." They then made their way to the elevator. "According to the specs I reviewed, we'll need to cut across the cargo processing to get Oriana."

"I hope your friend can be trusted."

"Absolutely," Miranda assured. "Niket is one of my closest friends. I guess you could say he was my only real friend. He's the only person I cut ties with when I left my father."

Shepard was still troubled by what the merc said about him not helping them. "Is there a chance your father could be using Niket to get to you?"

"I'm sure he tried, but Niket's one of the few people who understand what my father is really like. I trust him with my life when I ran for my father. He won't betray me now."

Shepard nodded. "Let's go find Niket and Oriana."

"Right."

Shepard then activated the elevator and they went upwards.

* * *

They soon made their way to the cargo processing area and Eclipse mercs blocked their path. Fortunately Shepard was a crack shot and use the explosive materials around the area to their advantage cutting the numbers quite a bit.

Miranda didn't let anything stop used her biotics to toss the mercs across the area, she might have even broken a few bones. Jacob and Garrus assisted with cover fire taking out the heavy hitters.

Fortunately they were still keyed into the radio so they could hear the mercs conversation. They had a female voice and assumed that it was Captain Enyala speaking. "Divert everyone except my guard from Niket. I'll handle him and the kid personally."

"Damn it! I'm not letting her get Oriana," said Miranda firmly.

"Don't worry we'll stop them," Shepard assured.

"I still don't understand why your father was Oriana now," said Jacob. "She spent the last ten years with a normal family."

"My father doesn't care about that, he only cares about his legacy," said Miranda bitterly.

"A strange way to mark yourself in history," said Shepard.

* * *

They soon reached the far side of the processing area and were getting close the elevators.

"Eclipse operatives have attempted to delay you by disabling the elevators," said EDI over their comms. "I am overriding their lockdown."

"Thanks, EDI," said Miranda.

The elevator opened and several mercs emergence of shooting at them. Unfortunately for them they were few in number and were easily taken down one by one by Shepard, but he was pretty sure that Miranda killed the most.

"Niket has reached the terminal," said Captain Enyala's voice. "He'll switch the family over to our transport."

Miranda's eyes widened. "Niket? But… that can't be right…"

Shepard didn't like the sounds of this and quickly open the elevator and they entered into it.

"Maybe the captain knows we're listening in and she's feeding misinformation about Niket making a switch," said Miranda as Shepard closed the door behind them. "Or maybe mean something else. Niket wouldn't do that." She then slammed her fist against the controls. "Damn it, why won't this thing go any faster?"

Shepard frowned, Miranda didn't tell him the truth about Oriana. He suspected that maybe she didn't tell Niket the truth either. "Did Niket know that you took Oriana from your father?"

Miranda shook her head. "No, he just found out about that recently. It was too personal to involve someone else." Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I never really thought about it, but maybe… no." She shook her head. "He'd have to understand why I did it. He knows what I went through."

Shepard shrugged. "We won't know until we find Niket."

Miranda nodded. "And then I'll have a word with this Captain Enyala."

* * *

A few seconds later they reached the top of the elevator. When the doors open they heard a man's voice talking. "Listen to me, I've got authorisation to change their booking!"

"I'm sorry, sir," said the transport officer. "We're under security lockdown. Until the situation in the cargo terminal is resolved, no passengers can be rebooked."

The asari next to him glared, Shepard assumed that this was Captain Enyala. "This isn't worth my time, Niket. I get paid regardless of how the girl gets there."

"No!" said Niket firmly. "I was told that I could handle this my way. We're not traumatising the family any more than we—"

He then noticed for the first time that Shepard and Miranda were standing there and stared. He stared at Miranda for a while and his eyes widened. "Miri."

"This should be fun," said Enyala jumping off the crate she was sitting on.

She then pulled out a shotgun and the board and pulled out their own guns. The transport officer then ran, but Enyala shot her in the back and she fell.

Miranda glared at Niket. "Niket. You sold me out."

"How do you want to handle this, Miranda?" Shepard asked.

Miranda looked at Niket. "Why, Niket? You were my friend. You help me get away from my father."

Niket glared back at her. "Yes! Because you wanted to leave. That was your choice! But if I know you'd stolen a baby—"

"I didn't steal her! I rescued her!"

"From a life of wealth and happiness? You weren't saving her! You were getting back at your father!"

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "How did Miranda's father turn you?"

"They told me you'd kidnapped your baby sister all those years ago," said Niket looking at Miranda. "They said I could help get her back peacefully. No trauma to the family. I told and you'd never do that. That they can go to hell." He then crossed his arms and glared at her. "Then you finally told me what you'd done. I called them back that night."

"Why didn't you call me, Niket?" Miranda yelled furiously. "We've been through a lot. You could've have at least let me explain."

Niket narrowed his eyes. "I deserve to know you'd stolen your sister, Miri. I deserve to know you were with Cerberus. But I had to hear it from your father first."

"How much did Miranda's father pay you?" Shepard asked.

"A great deal."

Miranda looked at him furiously. "Damn it, Niket! You were the only one I trusted from that life."

"He knew you felt that way. That's why he bought the."

Miranda glared at him. "So you just took his money."

Niket narrowed his eyes. "Don't get holy with me, Miri. You took his money for years."

"Whether or not you agree with Miranda, Oriana has been with her family for years now," said Shepard.

"Her father can still give her a better life."

"You don't know what my father wants for her," Miranda glared.

"I know that I've been poor, Miri. I didn't much care for it."

Miranda shook her head. "He wants to take a girl away from the only family she's ever known. Doesn't that tell you what he really is?"

"If you're working for Miranda's father, that means he knows about Oriana," said Shepard. He then looked to Miranda. "We need to find a new solution."

"Miranda's father has no information about Oriana," said Niket. "I knew you had spy programs and your father's systems, Miri, so I kept it private. I'm the only one who knows."

"Which means that you're the only loose end," said Miranda raising her pistol. "This isn't how I wanted it to end, Niket. I'm going to miss you…"

Shepard then quickly pulled Miranda's hand out of the way. "Miranda, wait! You don't want to do this."

"This has to end, Shepard. My father will keep trying to find Oriana."

"Maybe Niket can help… talk to your father. Just say you got here first…"

Niket looked slightly uneasy. "I'll… I'll tell them that you hid her. That I don't know where she is."

Miranda glared at Niket. "I never want to see you again, Nik—"

They then heard the sound of the bullet and Niket fell to the ground. Behind him was Enyala, holding her smoking shotgun.

"Done," she said aiming the shotgun at them. "Now if you don't mind, I have a shipment to deliver."

Miranda's biotics then flared and she lifted her up into the air.

"You'll die for that bitch!" she roared.

Miranda then shot her right across the cargo area and seconds later more Eclipse mercs appeared and began shooting. However, Jacob quickly created a barrier and they began shooting. Shepard and Garrus made some clean head shots, but no one could deny that it was Miranda who killed the most with both biotics and gunfire.

When the last merc fell, Miranda looked to Shepard. "There could be more Eclipse mercs near the shuttle. I want to make sure Oriana and her family got on safely."

Shepard nodded and they made their way to the elevator. Before he entered the elevator he noticed a locket with a picture of an asari and a human man. He stated that someone had dropped it and decided to take it with to find the owner.

* * *

Once they were inside Miranda looked devastated, though considering what he had been through Shepard couldn't really blame her.

"I can't believe Niket sold me out," she said shaking her head. "I didn't even see it coming."

"Even with all your upgrades, you're human just like the rest of us," said Shepard.

"But I like to get personal… and I screwed up." She then turned to him with tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you let me kill? I could have handled that. But watching him get gunned down by that asari bitch…"

"You still care for him, even if he betrayed you."

Miranda nodded. "You're right. And my father knew it. He used that against me. It's always been like this. My father gave me anything I ever wanted, but there was always a hook, an angle for his long-term plan. I threw away anything he ever gave me when I ran." She shrugged. "Except Niket. Weakness on my part."

"You can't toss aside everything you care about just to be safe."

"It's okay, Shepard. My father hurt me, but he didn't break me. As much as he tried to turn me into exactly what he wanted… I'm my own person."

"Any other friends your father might use against you?"

Miranda shook her head. "No. I cut ties with everyone else. Anyone I'm close to either work for Cerberus… or you. My father's powerful, but he won't cross the Illusive Man."

"You still have Oriana," Shepard pointed out.

"My father didn't give her to me. I rescued her. But…" She nodded. "Yes. You're right. I still have something. Thank you."

* * *

They made their way to the shuttle bay and began searching for any Eclipse mercs.

"No sign of Eclipse," said Miranda. "It looks like we're clear."

Miranda stared at a young woman there was a younger variation of herself. "There she is… She's safe… with her family." Shepard looked at her as she stared off into the distance. "Come on. We should go."

Shepard then grabbed her arm before she could walk off. "Don't you even want to say hello?"

"It's not about what I want. It's about what's right for her. The less she knows about me, the better. She's got a family. A life. I'll just complicate that for her."

"She doesn't need any details, but would it really be so bad for her to know she has a sister who loves her?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow.

Miranda looked at him and nodded. "I guess not…"

Shepard smiled. "Go on… we'll wait here."

Miranda then made her way over towards Oriana and they watched as she approached her and her family. It was clear that they were quite shocked to when Miranda walked up to them, considering that she bared a strong resemblance to Oriana.

They watched as they sat down and began to talk, Oriana's parents just stared at Miranda, but Oriana just sat there and listened. Oriana then hugged Miranda and she soon re-joined.

When they reach the elevator they saw that Oriana was smiling at Miranda and watched until the doors closed.

* * *

Rick was on the ship having a talk hologram of Anderson, informing him what happened on Horizon.

"So you found no evidence of the Reapers," said Anderson.

Rick shook his head. "Nothing concrete. However, the Collectors were using husks similar to the ones that the geth use two years ago."

"It won't be enough," said Anderson grimly. "They would just say that they got the tech from the geth or vice versa."

"Maybe, but they can't deny that the Collectors are a threat. If they can kidnap an entire colony with out a fight, no one is safe."

"I'll see if I company pressure on the Council, but I'm not confident they will do anything apart from sitting around and wait."

"At least it will get their attention."

Anderson nodded. "Agreed. Keep up the good work Commander."


	14. The Assassin

Shepard wondered around Nos Astra and then finally made contact with an asari, who matched the description of the locket he found. She was immensely grateful and gave him a few credits for his troubles.

Shepard then ran into another asari, who gave a message from the rachni queen. The Queen apparently was building ships in order to combat the Reapers, who she believed were the ones that started the Rachni Wars. Shepard was slightly concerned, but those concerns faded away when the asari mentioned that the rachni rescued her and that queen knew it wasn't time for the galaxy to accept.

Shepard then encountered another person he met on Noveria. It was Gianna Parasini, whose eye widened when she saw Shepard.

"Shepard? The news said you were dead! What happened?" She then raised her hands before Shepard could say anything. "No, wait, properly classified. Forget I asked. You'd just have to lie. It's been a couple of years. I'm Gianna Parasini, Noveria Internal Affairs. You helped me nail Administrator Anoleis."

"Happy to help," Shepard smiled. "What happened to Administrator Anoleis?"

"He made the one mistake Noveria won't tolerate: he got caught taking their money. He's doing a few years in white-collar prison. More importantly, he won't be working in the field again." She then adjusted the seat next to her. "Sit down. If I remember right, I owe you a beer."

Shepard sat down and a waiter placed a beer in front of him. He began to drink that Gianna curiously.

"What brings you to Illium?" she asked. "You know, that you can talk about?"

"You ever heard of the Collectors?" he asked and she nodded. "They're attacking human colonies. I'm going to stop them."

Gianna stared at him eyes widened. "Damn, Shepard. For me, a tough job involves more paperwork."

Her eyes then fell to an asari merchant standing in front of a vendor. "Hey, listen, I just remembered. I've got to go. Talk to you later? And don't forget to drink your beer."

Shepard noticed that she had left a note and looked at it. Apparently she was trying to bust an asari merchant that was smuggling schematics from Noveria and she asked him to get it to show in the good stuff.

Shepard decided to do just that and made his way to the asari merchant. Using his diplomatic skills he was able to get both a discount and get her to confess that she had something that was not publicly available yet.

Gianna then appeared out of nowhere and had no doubt recorded the entire conversation. The asari then walked off to find her lawyer.

* * *

Shepard then re-joined Gianna when she dealt with all the paperwork and jeeps that they're relaxed. "Hermia is going to be a very poor woman very shortly. Thanks for the help, Shepard. I love nailing asari. So ageless and superior—then you get them, and they squeal like schoolgirls."

"It must be nice having a job you really enjoy," Shepard smiled.

"I wanted to be a cop, or C-Sec, but my family had bills. I needed the money a corporate job brought in. Besides, in this job, you don't see things that make it hard to sleep at night. White-collar crime is nice and clean. Hell, at least this time I had to wear heels and a dress."

"It's been a pleasure, Gianna," said Shepard as they got to their feet.

"You too, Shepard. See you around." She then made her way over towards him. "Ah, hell with it."

She then kissed him on the cheek and smiled at him. "Much better than an autograph. Take care of yourself, Shepard."

* * *

"Seryna?"

"Who wants to know?" She didn't even look up from her paperwork.

"Name's Shepard. Liara T'Soni said you might have information on Thane Krios."

She stood, and turned toward her co-worker. "Tana. Cover for me." She started walking then gestured for Shepard to follow her. "Over here." She stopped in an out of the way area. "Yeah, I know who Thane Krios is. I might have passed him some information, but I didn't hire him. What do you want to know?"

"Maybe you can help me find him."

Seryna laughed. "I can tell you, but he won't stop him. When he contacted me, I checked up on him. The man never gives up a job. I ran security for Nassana Dantius. Then I found out she was having people killed to cover up her dirty secrets." Seryna smirked. "She fired me when I confronted her. Her loss. I might have been good enough to stop Thane from taking her down."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Shepard frowned.

"She was a representative on the Citadel a few years ago."

"Right. She had me kill her sister—the slaver." Shepard nodded.

"I thought that was just a rumour." Seryna shrugged. "Well, you know what she's capable of, then. She has even more power here in Nos Astra. She uses it to keep her friends in check and her enemies dead."

"So where do I find Thane?"

"The Dantius Towers. Penthouse level of Tower One." Seryna pointed at a building off in the distance. "There's a second tower, still under construction. If Thane is smart, he'll go in from there."

"It doesn't sound like Nassana's just going to let me in." If Seryna had a schematic or an idea for an entry point, it would save them time.

"She's as smart as she is paranoid. No one's getting in or out of there without a fight." Seryna looked around before looking back at him. "I can get you in, but you'll only get one shot. You'd better be ready."

"You're just offering your help? No strings attached?" Shepard gave her a skeptical look.

"You're going to look for Thane. Nassana's mercenaries will try to stop you." Seryna waved a hand. "At the last, you'll distract her guards. Take a little fire, give Thane a clear shot. I didn't hire him to kill Nassana, but I won't shed any tears when she gets what's coming to her."

* * *

Seryna was only able to fit three people in her skycar so we need took Garrus and Jack with him. It was soon darting flying towards the towers.

"The towers are heavily guarded, and you'll find more resistance closer to the penthouse." Seryna glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "So, this assassin—you planning to stop him?"

"I'm just here to make sure he survives."

"Hmm…" Seryna nodded. She maneuverer the skycar through traffic at a speed just a hair shy of ludicrous. "There they are: the Dantius Towers." She nodded at the buildings. "You'll have to get up the second tower and cross the bridge to the penthouse. Her mercs will fight you every step, but it's your best chance."

Shepard nodded. "We might find him before it goes that far."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "At least you'll know where he's headed."

"All right. Let's do this."

"Hold on." She dove through the traffic, swung a hard left followed by a harder right, and landed them next to a rather overblown fountain. Then she popped the door for them. "Don't linger too long; they'll be here to greet you soon enough."

He nodded, and closed the hatch before looking up at the tower. She took off, vanishing quickly back into traffic.

They headed for the door, and saw a couple salarians cowering inside. Shepard blinked as mechs came in, shooting the unarmed salarians down as they fled. He slung his rifle off his shoulder and saw Garrus do the same thing as Jack started to glow. "Move!"

* * *

"Help…" The wounded salarian gasped.

"He's still alive." Garrus sounded surprised.

Shepard couldn't blame him. The salarian was sitting in a puddle of his own blood. "I can't feel my legs…" He wheezed. "My chest is killing me."

"Who did this to you?" He knelt next to the wounded man. "And why?"

"We were just night workers! Nassanna…" The worker gasped. "Sent them after us…" He coughed. "She sent the mechs to round us up, but we didn't hear…" He managed a small shake of his head. "They just started shooting…"

"They just attacked you?"

"Yes… we were too slow. It was horrible. Everyone… screaming…" He twitched. "The mercs said there was no time. Nassana wanted us out of the way… immediately. Then… the dogs…" He spat out blood.

"He's not going to make it if we don't help him." Garrus clicked his mandibles.

"I can't breathe… please… help me…"

Shepard touched the controls on his omnitool, and applied a dose of the medigel. "Here. That should ease the pain and keep you alive until help arrives."

"He doesn't know where the assassin is." Jack shook her head.

"Take your time." Shepard helped the salarian back to his feet.

"I think I'm… better…" The salarian winced. "Find the other workers. Help them."

* * *

They made their way deeper into the tower taking down mechs and mercs as they went. They only stopped when they heard voices above them, no doubt from several floors up.

"Hey—I think he went in here."

"Well, go get him."

"You go."

"Get your ass in there. Nassana's not paying you to stand around."

"Fine… But I…"

There was a thud followed by silence. Then the body of a trooper fell from the floor and landed in front of them. Shepard glanced back at his companions. "Call it a hunch, but I think our assassin may be in the building."

"He must be skilled if he took them down fast," said Garrus examining the body.

"That's why we're recruiting him," said Shepard.

* * *

He hacked the lock on a door to find a room full of… Shepard sighed. Unarmed salarians. "Please… don't kill us! We'll go… we'll go…"

"Hey, look…" One pointed. "They're not Eclipse." He gave Shepard a hopeful look. "You're here to help us…" The salarian blinked. "Right?"

Shepard holstered his sidearm. "It's one reason I'm here. Come on out. It's safe enough."

"Thank you. We are in your debt."

Shepard looked at the salarians. "Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for someone. Not a merc—he's on his own."

The first salarian rubbed his jaw. "Well, whoever sealed us in here…"

"When he found us, I thought we were dead. But he just closed the door and locked us in."

"Looked you in?" Garrus glanced at Shepard. "Sounds like our assassin was trying to keep them safe."

"Assassin?" The first salarian started fidgeting.

"Here for Nassana, I bet." The other one nodded. "She's got it coming. You treat people like this; it always comes back to bite you in the ass."

He got some intel from them. Fastest way up and through and what little they could tell him about the mercenaries. "I wouldn't stay here too long. It should be safe down on the lower floors."

"I was just thinking the same thing." The first salarian rubbed his forehead. "Let's go, everybody."

"Thank you." The second salarian turned back to him. "And tell your assassin to aim for her head…" He shook his head. "Because she doesn't have a heart."

"This assassin is not who I expected," said Shepard looking at Garrus.

Garrus nodded. "He certainly doesn't target innocent bystanders."

"I still don't get the motive," said Jack. "I can understand killing Nassana, but he's not doing it for the money and he's storming this tower on his own."

"Maybe find out what we catch up to him," said Shepard.

* * *

"I haven't heard from Teams Four or Five. Don't worry, my team is always ready to go. I don't know where he is, not yet. Don't worry about it. We don't need any reinforcements. I'll take care of it. It's under control. I'll go down there myself."

Shepard watched the mercenary talk into his radio as they walked up. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Garrus, who just shrugged. Jack responded the same way when he looked at her. Shepard gave a shrug of his own, and walked to within a few feet of the oblivious mercenary before pulling out his sidearm. "Turn around, very slowly."

The mercenary stood there for a moment. "Damn it." He turned around.

"Have you seen the assassin?" Shepard took another step toward him.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be wasting my time talking to you." The mercenary shook his head. "You're not one of Nassana's mercs. Who are you?"

Shepard leaned in closer towards him. "As I questions, and I'll let you go."

"Look pal, even if I knew where he was, I wouldn't tell you." The man held up his hand.

"Not the answer I was looking for." Shepard took another step forward.

"I've got nothing more to say to you. If you shoot me, my team's right through there… they'll be all over you."

Shepard then pulled him closer. "Is a little information really worth dying over? Is Nassana?"

The merc looked at him. "No… I suppose not. Okay, look… last I heard, the assassin was down on the mezzanine. But the team on the bridge think they might've spotted him. Nobody knows for sure."

Shepard gestured his head towards the elevator. "Get out of here."

"I'm going," said the merc and headed over towards the elevator.

"He owes you one," said Garrus. "Anyone else would have killed him."

"Yeah, why didn't you?" Jack asked.

"We needed information," said Shepard.

"True," Garrus nodded. "Sounds as if our assassin is all over the place."

"Well, we know where he is heading, just a question of getting there first."

* * *

As Shepard made his way along the corridor he spotted a storage disk on the ground. He picked it up and discovered that the contained a list of genetic information for a salarain family. He shrugged and placed it in his pocket.

Shepard was able to hack into another vault and there stood another group of salarians and a dead merc.

"Are you guys all right?" Shepard asked.

One of the salarians then pointed the gun at them. "Get back! Get back… I'll shoot."

"Relax," said Garrus. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"I don't want to hurt you… but I will. I said get back! I'll do it! Please… don't make me do it."

"Hey, I'm not the bad guy here," said Shepard calmly. "What's your name?"

"I… I'm Telon. Don't… come any closer."

"Telon, I'm Commander Shepard. I don't work with the mercs, and I don't want to hurt you. I'm here to help."

Telon looked at him for moment. "I… all right… here…" He then handed Shepard the pistol. "I… don't feel so…"

Telon then collapsed.

"Telon!" a salarian cried running out of the vault. He looked up at Shepard. "He's my brother. I just want to see if he's all right. Are you the ones who… shot the merc?"

Shepard shook his head. "It wasn't me. Your brother didn't do it?"

"No. Telon was standing here with me."

"What happened exactly?"

"The merc founders and shouted at us to move. We panicked, and he shouted more. I thought he was gonna kill us… then… his head just exploded. Telon picked up the merc's gun, but we were too afraid to leave. Then you showed up."

Garrus looked impressed. "A perfect headshot with no collateral damage. Very impressive."

"There are still mercs up here," said Shepard. "You should get to the lower levels."

The salarian then got onto his feet. "No need to convince me." He then helped his brother up. "Telon… come on, get up."

"Can we go home now?" Telon asked hopefully.

"Yeah, we're getting out of here." The salarian then looked to Shepard. "Thank you."

* * *

It was clear that the assassin was helping the workers as much as he could and they were actually gaining on him. They came up a ramp and looked out across the bridge. Mechs. Mercenaries. Rocket launchers. Wind. And no railings.

"I don't these conditions," said Shepard.

"They could be better," Garrus nodded.

"Okay, I'll sneak behind their ranks and see if I can't hack into those rocket launches. Garrus provide cover and Jack you're a distraction."

They nodded and Shepard activated his cloak.

The plan worked like a treat. Shepard was able to sneak behind their ranks and managed to hack into the rocket launcher causing them to fire upon the mercs. Jack cause a bit of mayhem with her biotics tossing anyone she could get off the ledge and Garrus took out the leaders.

* * *

They then made their way to Nassana's office and found the asari herself standing there. She turned and was quite shocked to see Shepard.

"Shepard? But…" She stared. "You're dead."

"I got better." Shepard shrugged.

"And now you're here to kill me." She put a hand on her chest.

"You really are paranoid, aren't you?"

"Don't patronise me, Shepard."

"Charming as ever." He smirked.

"I'm sure you find this all very ironic." She walked toward the window, then looked back over her shoulder at him. "First you take care of my sister, and now you're here for me." She turned, and walked back toward him, keeping the desk between them. "Well, you made it this far. Now what?"

"You really think I'm here to kill you?"

"Do you have another reason for destroying my tower? Decimating my security?"

"I'm just looking for someone."

"You expect me to believe that?" Nassana glared at him. "Is it credits? Is that what you want? Just tell me your price. We can make this problem go away"

Shepard then heard a sound above them and he had a pretty good idea who was causing it. He simply folded his arms. "All the credits in the world won't make this problem go away, Nassana."

"Who the hell gave you the right to play god?" She folded her arms. "I may not be perfect, but look at you." Nassana gestured at him. "We both kill people for money. What's the difference?"

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You kill people because you think they're beneath you; they're in your way. I kill people when they leave me no choice."

"You've got a choice. You don't have to do this. I can tell you…" Her guards finally became aware of the noise in the ducts, and starting pointing their guns in various directions. "What?"

"I heard something." The asari among them replied.

"Damn it. Check the other entrances! You…" She actually pointed at him. "Stay put." Shepard would have rolled his eyes, but the assassin chose that moment to drop down from the ceiling and start killing her guards. Quick and efficient and without her noticing. "When I'm finished dealing with this nuisance, you and I are going to…" She then heard the sound of gunfire and turned to find the assassin killing her guards. "Who…?" She gave him a confused look before he shot her in the chest.

The assassin laid her back gently on the desk, and folded her arms over her chest. Then he clasped his hands together and stood there with his eyes closed.

Garrus looked very impressed. "Impressive. You certainly know how to make an entrance." The assassin ignored him.

Shepard walked closer, giving the assassin an appraising look. The man was a drell, green skinned and vaguely reptilian though still capable of passing for human in really bad lighting. Shepard never really meet a drell, the one that many in the galaxy normally they spend most of their time in hanar space.

He carried fairly minimal weaponry, but his hand to hand skills were apparently formidable. "I was hoping to talk to you."

"I apologise, but prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken." The assassin's voice was gravely.

"You really think you deserve it?" Shepard frowned.

"Not for her. For me." The assassin secured his sidearm, then walked around the desk toward Shepard. "The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you, for instance. All this destruction…" He looked around the room. "Chaos." He waved a hand. "I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well…" He met Shepard's eyes. "Here I am."

"How do you know I was coming at all?"

"I didn't. Not into you marched in the front door and started shooting." The assassin walked past Michael to give Garrus and Jack appraising looks. He did a pretty good job of ignoring the fact that Garrus was still pointing a rifle at him. "Nassana has become paranoid. You saw the strength of her guards force. She believed one of her sisters would kill her. You were a viable distraction."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You used me. So you could can kill her!"

"I needed a diversion; you needed to speak with me." Shepard looked at Garrus and gestured his head. Garrus nodded and lowered his sniper rifle. "You suddenly fulfilled your end of the bargain." He then turned and looked at Shepard. "What would you like to discuss?"

"Someone's been abducting human colonies. We're going to stop them. We only know the culprits—a race called the Collectors."

Thane turned towards the window and closed his eyes. "I've heard of them." Thane turned to face him. "Attacking the Collectors would require passing through the Omega 4 relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so."

Shepard shrugged. "They told me it was impossible to get to Ilos, too."

He smiled. "A fair point. You've build a career on performing the impossible." He looked back at the window and closed his eyes again. "This was to be my last job." He glanced at Shepard. "I'm dying. Low survival odds don't concern me. The abduction of your colonists does."

If it was possible that Doctor Chakwas could do something. "I haven't heard. Is there anything I can do?"

"Giving me this opportunity is enough. The universe is a dark place. I'm trying to make it brighter before I die." He then looked back at Shepard. "Many innocents died today. I wasn't fast enough, and they suffered. I must atone for that. I will work for you Shepard." Thane held out his hand, and Shepard took it. "No charge."

* * *

"I've heard impressive stories, Krios. Sounds like you'll be an asset to the team." Jacob folded his arms. He glanced at Shepard. "That is, if you're comfortable having an assassin watch your back."

Thane spoke up. "I've accepted a contract. My arm is Shepard's."

"Uh-huh." Jacob gave him a sceptical look. "Don't know about you, but I'm loyal to more than my next paycheck."

"Obviously he is, too. He's doing this mission gratis. What's your concern?" Shepard narrowed his eyes at Jacob.

"I don't like mercenaries. An assassin is just a precise mercenary."

Thane remained calm. "An assassin is a weapon. A weapon doesn't choose to kill. The one who wields it does." He turned his eyes toward Shepard. "Where shall I put my things? I'd prefer someplace dry, if anything is available."

EDI's hologram appeared. "The area near the life support plant on the crew deck tends to be slightly more arid than the rest of the ship."

"Ah. An AI?" Thane nodded. "My thanks." He bowed before taking his leave.

"He seems quite civil," EDI said.

Shepard turned to face Jacob. "We need all the help we can get. He's not what I expected in an assassin. He may surprise you."

"Yeah. And he may not." Jacob frowned.

* * *

Ashley walked up to Rick, who was looking down from the observation deck is a group of scientists were examining the remains of the Collectors they had gathered.

"Have they found anything, sir?" Ashley asked.

Rick shook his head. "No. However, it is hard to tell with all the bullet holes in their bodies. I think Shepard did it too good of a job."

"Are you sure we'll find anything?" Ashley asked.

"No one really gotten a close look at a Collector before. Heck, some people don't even believe they exist, but this is a perfect chance to find out more about their biology and maybe when they come from."

"Has there been any word on Shepard?" Ashley asked.

"Some rumours that he's been sighted at Illium, but the rumours about him being alive have spread immeasurably. Thankfully most people believe that he is undercover and both the Alliance and the Council have spread a rumour that he is infiltrating Cerberus to destroy them from within."

Astrid crossed her arms. "I wish that was true."

"Maybe it is, but there's no denying that the Collectors are the bigger threat. Anderson has already got the Council to notice their actions, we can only hope that it's enough."


	15. The Justicar

Shepard wondered see how Thane was doing and him found he was just sitting at his table looking at the drive for his window.

"Do you need something?" Thane asked without even looking.

"Have a few minutes to talk?" Shepard asked.

"Certainly," he nodded. "We haven't had a chance since I joined."

Shepard folded his arms. "When we met you, you said you were dying."

"Yes. I thought you'd want to know more. You don't have to worry about the rest of the crew. My illness is not communicable, even to other drell. It's called Kepral's Syndrome."

"Are you going to be all right until the end of the mission?" Shepard asked.

"I should be fine for another eight to twelve months. The more time I spend in humid environments, the faster it progresses. I think it's safe to say that by the time my body is incapacitated, we'll be victorious, or dead. Either way, I will be a burden to you."

"What exactly is the problem?" Shepard asked looking slightly concerned.

"My people are native to an arid world. Most of us live on Kahje, the hanar homeworld. It's very humid, and rains every day. Our lungs can't deal with the moisture. Over time, the tissue loss its ability to absorb oxygen. It becomes harder to breathe. Eventually, we suffocate."

Shepard was surprised that the hanar did nothing. "Can't they do something about that?"

"The hanar have funded a genetic engineering program. They should be able to adapt us. The project has only been running for a few years. I don't believe my body will still draw breath by the time it bears fruit."

"Then don't live on Kahje. Or use breathes."

Thane shook his head. "Drell have a close relationship with the hanar. We rely on one each other. The best we can do is keep our homes very dry inside."

"Is there anything we can do here?" Shepard asked. "Normally have a state-of-an-art medical bay."

"No, thank you. It's been attended to. If the finest medical minds in the hanar Illuminated Primacy can't solve the problem, I doubt your ship's medic could."

* * *

Shepard went to check on Miranda, to see how she was coping with the situation sister.

She looked up from her desk when he entered. "Thanks again, Shepard. Taking the time to help me with my sister…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I couldn't have reached Oriana in time without your help."

She then got to her feet and made her way over towards the chair that overlooks the mirror staring out to space.

"I'm glad Niket try to redeem himself… for what good it did. Thank you again for stopping me, Commander."

"Sounds like you had a soft side for Niket after all," Shepard noted.

"I didn't have many friends. Niket was one of them. He never wanted anything from me. He was… safe. Comfortable." She looked at the start of shining through the window. "A reminder of a more innocent time, I suppose."

"Are you happy about your sister's relocation?" Shepard asked.

"She has what I wanted her to have—a normal life, and the freedom to choose her own path." She then smiled. "And she knows she has an older sister. A friend."

"Are you going to talk to her again?" Shepard asked.

"I honestly don't know." Miranda repositioned herself on her chair. "For once, I haven't planned that far ahead. I'll deal with it after our mission. I have to stay focused, and she needs time to adjust to her new home."

"You never told me what you talked about."

Miranda merely smiled. "I introduced myself. Her family was shocked. She adjusted quickly, of course. She's a smart as I am. She plays the violin. Loves the adagio movement of Nielsen's Fifth, just like I do. She wants to work in colony development. Told a joke about it. She's really funny. Something we don't share."

Shepard smiled. "Let me know if I can do anything else."

Miranda got her feet. "I think I've got it from here. My father has no chance at finding her family in the new location. But thank you, Commander. My sister is safe again, thanks in no large part to you. I won't forget that."

* * *

Shepard made his way back to Nos Astra and helped a couple out with the relationship. The relationship was an asari, who was a little uneasy to make the relationship permanent, and a krogan, who looked to make love poems. The asari gave them a discount for her terminal as gratitude for helping them out.

"Shepard." Shepard blinked, and turned in the direction of the voice. An asari was walking toward him. A green one. "Shepard. I…" She hesitated a moment. "I don't suppose you remember me. I'm Shiala. We met on Feros during the geth attack. Saren had given me to the Thorian creature as a slave, and you killed it…" She gave him a shy smile. "And saved me."

Shepard nodded. "Yes, I do remember."

Her smile broadened for a moment. "I promised to help Zhu's Hope recover. I'm actually here on Illium for just that purpose." She filled him in a little on the colony before getting to her point. "Some of the colonists had health problems as a result of the Thorian control. We hired a colonial survey group to do some medical scans." She glanced over her shoulder at one of the kiosk attendants. "But the medical contract apparently allows the company to perform invasive procedures without our consent. That's why I'm here."

Shepard frowned. "Wait a minute, Shiala—you were only clean when the Thorian made you a clone. The real you was blue, like normal asari."

She shrugged. "Those health problems I said were related to the Thorian control? This is mine. A few months after the Thorian died, my skin pigment changed. My biotic abilities are unstable as well. I'm also having vivid dreams…" She sighed. "About my time with the Thorian. It is…" She shook her head. "Disconcerting."

"And these scans?" He raised an eyebrow. Shiala filled him in quickly. Baria Frontiers had cut them a break that had turned out to be too good to be true. He nodded to her. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"I saw your conversation, human." The Baria Frontiers rep glared at him as he approached. "You're here to complain about the medical contracts those colonists from Feros signed." She sneered. "I suggest you leave. Your life is short enough. Do not waste what time you have bothering me."

Shepard could understand why Shiala was having problems. "Why are you insisting on these tests? What use could they possibly be?" He folded his arms.

"Their use is none of your concern. A legal, binding contract was signed. Nothing else matters." Her glare went past him to where his companions were waiting. "All of you, humans, salarians, turians… You come to our planet, then complain about our laws don't suit you. The galaxy would be a better place if nobody but the asari had ever dragged themselves out of the primordial muck."

"You seem to forget that a human saved you from Saren and the geth," Shepard pointed out.

She glared at him. "The geth created by the idiotic quarians? That a rouge turian Spectre lead in an attack? The geth didn't start with the Citadel. The attack your human colony, Eden Prime, first. You humans brought the geth upon us. You, and the turians, and the quarians. My people's death are on your hands!"

"Why are you so prejudiced against aliens?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Where do I begin? With salarian researchers unleashing the rachni upon us, then unleashing the krogan to correct their mistake? Or the turians, so eager to bomb every problem away? Or humans, the new arrivals who already think they should be in charge? Every war that has plagued this galaxy has been caused by your people." She pointed at him. "My people's deaths are on your hands."

Now that was sounding a bit personal. "So you'd be this harsh if your contract terms if they were asari colonists?"

"If they were asari, they'd be dealing with problems unleashed by another race! Asari like my bondmate, who died when the geth rebelled against the quarians!" She turned away from. "Or my daughters who died on the Citadel when the geth attacked. One worked in the Embassy as a receptionist. The other was a greeter for the Consort. I am not speaking in hypotheticals, human. The aliens will never be my allies. The best they can do is give me useful medical data."

Shepard could understand how she felt, he asked or lost his family to aliens. However, it didn't seem fair to blame everyone on the actions of so few. "Why was your bondmate on the quarian homeworld?"

"Studying the quarians. Not the technology, but their music. She loved all their art. Said they had old souls. I think that when my daughters got it from. Both of them loves talking with people, exploring new cultures."

"They sound like wonderful people. The galaxy is lesser for their loss."

She nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Do you think they'd want you to do this?"

"I'm not… I didn't… Oh…" The asari took a deep breath, and collapsed backward to lean on the railing behind her. He offered her a hand, pulling her back to her feet. "I'm…" She met his eyes. "Sending an amended contract. No more tests. No fees. There's enough grief in this galaxy. I don't need to add to it."

Shepard nodded to her. He started to walk away, and then sighed. He turned back toward her. "I lost my family too. I was on Mindor when batarians slaves attacked, I watched as they killed my mother without mercy. I also saw good men and women die during the Skyllian Blitz."

She nodded. "Then I'm sorry for your loss."

"Everything all right, Shepard?" Garrus clicked his mandibles.

"Yeah." Shepard shook his head. "Let's go find Shiala."

* * *

Shepard managed to locate the justicar with a little help with a security officer. Unfortunately, he found himself in a crime scene that involved the death of a volus merchant and his partner wanted to leave immediately, but the detective stopped him from leaving much to his annoyance.

Shepard decided that the detective might be able to point me in the right direction.

"Nice guns." The detective barely looked up from her desk. "Try not to use them in my district. What can I do for you?"

Shepard sat in a chair opposite her desk. "I'm looking for an asari warrior named Samara."

"If you've got a score to settle with Samara, take it somewhere else." She moved a datapad onto a stack. "I've got more than enough trouble here already."

"I need to recruit Samara for my mission, then we'll be on our way," Shepard assured.

"Justicars usually work alone, but they are drawn to impossible causes." Detective Anaya gave him an appraising look.

"We've got that covered," said Garrus.

"If you're getting her out of my district, I'll get you to her ASAP. She's at the crime scene." She jerked her head at the fuss over by one of the bay doors.

"You're awfully anxious to get Samara out of your district."

Detective Anaya sighed. "My bosses want me to detain her. They're worried she'll cause some kind of cross-species incident. But her Justicar Code won't let her be taken into custody. If I try it, she'll have to kill me." She shrugged. "I have no interest in dying, so if you lure her away with some big noble cause before I have to carry out my orders, I'm thrilled to help you."

Shepard blinked. "Your superiors are sending you to certain death for no good reason. You have a right to disobey."

"We can disobey suicidal orders?" Garrus clicked his mandibles. He turned toward Kasumi. "Why wasn't I told?"

"That's about twice a day." Kasumi nodded.

"Most of the time, I'm not being stupid about it." Shepard glared at them over his shoulder. "I can't say the same for Anaya's superiors."

"I'm a cop, and I know my duty. I've been ordered to detain her and I will." Anaya met his eyes. "Unless I can get her to leave my district first."

"How do I get the crime scene?"

"It around the corner—go outside, take a left. Look for the police line. I'll send word to let you in. Be careful—the local Eclipse mercs happen all over those back alleys lately."

Shepard managed to get a bit more information about the crime scene and found out that the detective believed that the Eclipse mercs had something to do with it, but had no proof.

"I have to go."

"Good luck."

Shepard then looked at the others.

"We'd better find Samara before the detective goes after her."

Shepard nodded.

* * *

They had fought their way through a small group of mercenaries when someone threw yet another mercenary in their direction. The mercenary missed Garrus, and hit the wall to land in a crumpled heap. "Those were my best troops." Shepard looked up to see yet another mercenary pointing a gun at someone.

A woman, dressed in red and glowing blue, walked toward her, completely unconcerned. "Tell me what I need to know, and I will be gone from here. Where did you send her?"

"You think I'd betray her? She would hurt me in ways you can't imagine."

"The name of the ship." The red armoured woman paced back and forth. "Your life hangs on the answer, Lieutenant."

"You can kill me, but one of us will take you down, Justicar." The mercenary raised her gun.

That proved to be a fatal mistake. The blue biotic energy around the justicar lashed out at a gesture, throwing the mercenary through the window to the ground below. The justicar leaped down after her, using her biotics to slow her fall. She landed a couple paces away, then walked toward the mercenary that was struggling to rise. One of the justicar's red high-heeled boots came down on the mercenary's throat. "What was the name of the ship she left on?"

"Go to hell."

"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess." The justicar twisted her leg, snapping the mercenary's neck. Then she looked up, and her eyes fell on them.

She then noticed Shepard and the others approaching her. Shepard now understood why the detective was quite fearful of her and understand why she wanted her out of her district. She turned to face them. "My name is Samara, a servant of the Justicar Code. My quarrel is with these Eclipse sisters, but I see well-armed people before me." She stepped away from the corpse and moved to a position that would give her a slightly greater advantage if they pull weapons on her. "Are we friend? Or foe?"

"I'm Commander Shepard, and I need your help with a critical mission, Samara."

"You honour me. But I am in the middle of an investigation."

"I'm going up against suicidal odds, and I need the best—that's you."

"I sense the truth in what you say, and it humbles me." She gave him an appraising look. "But I seek an immensely dangerous fugitive." She met his eyes, then started pacing. Not a nervous pacing. More like a cat waiting for its prey to appear. "I cornered her here, but the Eclipse sisters smuggled her off-world. I must find the name of the ship she left on before the trail goes cold."

Detective Anaya's voice came from behind them. "I wish you were willing to go with the human, Justicar. I've been ordered to take you into custody if you won't leave."

Samara actually gave the detective a respectful nod. "You risk a great deal by following your orders, Detective. Fortunately, I will not have to resist. My code obligates me to cooperate with you for one day. After that, I must return to my investigation."

"I won't be able to release you that soon."

"You won't be able to stop me."

Shepard could see the problem, even despite not knowing the Justicar Code. "I'll get the name of that ship." They both turned to look at Shepard.

"Do that, and I will join you." Samara nodded. "Then the Code will be satisfied."

"Do you have any leads?"

"The volus merchant, Pitne For, is tied to this. Eclipse mercs are preparing to kill him." Samara started following Anaya. "Get the truth out of him. He may know a way into the Eclipse base."

"Do you anything we can accomplish this in one day?" Garrus asked.

"Only if we swayed, Pitne For to cooperate," said Shepard.

"He was eager to leave," said Tali.

"Maybe I can persuade," Grunt smiled.

"Let's use that as a backup," said Shepard. "I have a feeling that we will be with persuade him regardless."

* * *

Shepard met up with the volus merchant managed to convince him that helping him would be the best way for him to leave and to get Eclipse off his back. Pitne For then began to confess that he smuggled a chemical that boosts biotic power in combat. However, it was toxic.

Shepard now understood why the Eclipse mercs were now after him. Shepard asked about more about the chemical and unsurprisingly it was very illegal even on Illium. He then asked more about the Eclipse base of operations and he told him that it was a series of docking bays where they could park their private ships. There were also well armed and had a lot of mechs.

Pitne For and gave Shepard his pass card that allowed them to access an elevator that would get him to the merc base.

"So, the volus sells Eclipse this dangerous chemical without telling them that it could kill them and now they're trying to kill him," said Jack rolling her eyes. "Not the best smuggler I've seen."

"He's probably hoping to get away before Eclipse found out," said Zaeed.

"Either way we need to find the ship that Samara is looking for before she kills everyone," Shepard.

* * *

They soon exit the elevator and stormed the base and were soon attacked by Eclipse mercs and mechs. Shepard accidentally shot a canister and it unleashed the brownish chemical.

"Shepard, my scans confirm that the chemical compound will boost biotics," said EDI over the comm. "However, concentrated exposure will cause severe tissue damage. I recommend limited exposure."

Shepard nodded. "Thanks, EDI." He then looked to the others. "What your fire, we don't want more this chemical spreading around."

"You're the one that shorted," Garrus pointed out.

"How about we don't point fingers," said Shepard.

* * *

They made their way deeper into the base and walked past the door and heard a voice behind it. "Oh, Goddess, don't let them see me. If they do see me, don't let them kill me. What am I doing here?"

Shepard then opened the door to investigate with Garrus and Kasumi and tow. Then he drew his sidearm.

"Wait! Stop!" The mercenary held up her hand. "I didn't fire my weapon once. I pretended to because the other Eclipse sisters were watching, but I didn't really shoot!"

Shepard just stared at her for a moment. He lowered his sidearm, but kept watching her. "I'm not one of them! I'm new! I thought being Elnora the mercenary would be cool…" She shook her head. "But I didn't know what they were really like."

Shepard however wasn't falling for the act, he knew that each member of Eclipse killed in order to join. Which meant that she was a murderer. Shepard sighed. And her fingers were creeping toward her weapon. He lifted his own sidearm again. "You chose your side, Elnora. And you lost."

"Screw that, bastard!" She went for the gun. "And screw you!"

The three of them shot her before she got the chance to fire. "Let's move on!"

* * *

As they moved in deeper Shepard found a shipping manifest and examined it.

"This looks like a shipping manifest," he said looking to the others. "It shows that Pitne For sold 2000 units of Minagen X3 to the Eclipse. Along with 600 units of red sand."

"Samara wasn't looking for this information, but at least it proves the volus is a criminal," said Kasumi.

Garrus nodded. "I'm sure Detective Anaya would be interested in this."

"Agreed, but right now we need to save her life before Samara goes on a killing spree," said Shepard.

They then discovered that Elnora had in fact killed the volus merchant, which she can perform according. Shepard was now glad that he actually killed her and decided like a copy of this statement to Detective Anaya assuming that they could find what Samara was looking for.

* * *

A volus turned from a snack kiosk and walked toward them. He bounced off Shepard, then stumbled backwards. Then he looked up. "I am a biotic god! I think things—and they happen! Fear me, lesser creatures, for I am biotics made flesh!" The volus started to glow. A little.

"You need help," said Shepard.

"You need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever." He paced. "Yes, the asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying. But then I began to smell my greatness! They may laugh when I fall over, but they don't know what I know in my head. That I know that I am amazingly powerful. Fear me!"

The volus gestured at Garrus, who just shrugged.

"Are you part of Pitne For's trade group?" Shepard asked.

"When I was mortal, I worked for Pitne. Poor soul is probably terrified that I have not returned."

"He hasn't reported your disappearance," said Garrus. "For me so his departure won't get delayed."

"Face it—Pitne will pick money over friends every time," said Kasumi.

The volus was not too happy. "Bah! I will wreak a just revenge upon his people! But first… the leader of these mercenaries is in the next room. I shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"

"Shepard." Garrus was clearly trying not to laugh. "This guy couldn't tie his bootlaces, much less fight."

"I will tear her apart! My biotics are unstoppable!"

"Wasea will tear you apart. Take a nap—you'll feel better."

"Are you mad? I'm unstoppable! Feasting on her biotic-rich blood will be the last step of my ascension to godhood!" When the volus turned, Shepard adjusted his trajectory just slightly. The volus hit the wall, bounced off, then shook itself. "But…" He shook its head again. "Great wind! Biotic god! I'm…" He turned back toward Shepard. "What was I saying? I'm…" He started stumbling back in the direction they'd come from. "I'm tired." He then looked up at Shepard. "You… maybe right." He then walked drunkenly away. "Yes. I'm tired… I'll nap. Destroy the universe later…"

Garrus shook his head. "So much for godhood."

It pitched forward, and lay in a boneless heap.

* * *

They entered into the main storage room and found Wasea inside. She placed her drink down and looked at them.

"Everything's gone to hell since we smother that filthy creature off-world," she said. "First they justicar shows up, now you." She then placed her datapad onto her desk. "At least I can take the pleasure in turning your head into a pulpy mass."

Wasea then began tossing around containers full of Minagen X3 around. All of them ran for cover just before try not to get too exposed by the chemical. Grunt actually picked up a mercenary and used her to hit another mercenary. Thane had promptly vanished into thin air and then reappeared behind the mercenaries, snap the head off one and then fired his pistol another.

Wasea was exposed to quite a lot of Minagen X3 which rendered her biotics were unbelievably powerful. Of course, with that much exposure she was taking damage and Shepard use that with advantage to fire several slugs into her.

Once she was dead Shepard picked up the datapad he placed on the desk. "Got the ship name."

"And we still have twenty hours," said Kasumi.

"I doubt will find anything else of value here," said Thane.

"And let's not waste time and get this information back to Samara," said Shepard.

* * *

Samara was sitting cross-legged atop the short wall behind Anaya's desk, apparently meditating. "I've got the name of the ship. Your fugitive left here two days ago on the AML Demeter."

"Shepard, you impress me." Samara nodded to him. "You fulfilled your part of the bargain, and I will fulfill mine." She jumped down, then turned to look at Anaya. "I am ready to leave immediately, if that will satisfy your superiors, Detective?"

"You're free to go, Justicar. It has been an honour having you in my station. And it's nice you didn't kill me, too."

Shepard was a little concerned. "You're sworn to follow a code that dictates your decisions. But I'm running a military operation."

She nodded. "You wonder if I will refuse to follow orders because of my code?"

"I can't allow that to happen."

"By agreeing to follow you, I am compelled to swear the most difficult of justicar oaths—the Third Oath of Subsumation. After I do, your orders will override the Code. You should know, however, that I'll still give you my opinion if the situation warrants."

Shepard nodded. "I'm fine with my crew having their own opinions. The Normandy is docked near the main trading floor. I'll see you aboard."

"I must be sworn to your service, so that I am never forced to choose between your orders and the Code." Samara's eyes suddenly glowed, and then, to his shock, she dropped to her knees, all but pressing her forehead against the floor. Blue energy glowed around her. "By the Code, I will serve you, Shepard. Your choices are my choices, your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code." She rose once more.

"I never thought I'd see a justicar swear an oath like that." Anaya's eyes were practically falling out of her head.

Samara met his eyes. "If you make me do anything extremely dishonorable, I may need to kill you when I am released from my oath."

"I can see this is a very important act, Samara. Thank you."

"Truly, the life of a justicar can get lonely. I admit, I am looking forward to serve with a company of honourable heroes. Shall we return to your ship?"

"I need to speak to the detective," said Shepard.

Samara nodded and Shepard made his way over to Anaya, who was looking very relieved.

"Thanks for getting Samara out of my district," she said gratefully. "I can tell my granddaughters about meeting a justicar. And you've just upped my chances for living long enough to have grandkids."

Shepard then pulled out the recording of Elnora's confession. "I have proved that Eclipsed killed the volus merchant."

"Let's see what you've got there," said Anaya she listened to the recording. "Interesting, but I can't verify it. It would be inadmissible."

"I vouch for Shepard and any evidence he brings," said Samara.

Anaya shrugged. "I took the judgement of the justicar."

Shepard nodded to Samara in thanks.

"Thanks, Shepard," said Anaya. "I wasn't sure trusting a strange—and a human, at that. But you came through. Never heard of this Elnora. Sounds like she was just starting her career. Good thing you cut it short." She then looked at them all. "Okay, enough with all the congratulations, I've still got a spiralling crime rate."

"I can help you with that," said Shepard as he pulled out the shipping manifest. "I have proof that Pitne For snarled in red sand and illegal weapons tech."

"I'll send in some officers to arrest him and his cohorts. This is a big help, Shepard." She then pulled out a cash of credits. "I can't do much to thank you, but we do have a small discretionary bounty fund. Take this."

"Yeah, sure. Just need to drop some stuff off for Anaya here." Michael gestured at Garrus, who handed her the datapads they'd found.

* * *

Before returning to the Normandy Shepard healthy quarian, who had the place herself in servitude to pay off her debts. Unfortunately, the company that the contract had been signed to didn't like the idea of having an indentured servant working for them.

Shepard could understand their concerns and improve he wasn't too happy about indentured servants either. However, there was no denying that the young quarian needed help and he was able to convince the representative to take her in saying that hiring and freeing the quarian a good PR move.

He then gave the data he had found at Nassana's construction building to a salarian, who was desperately looking for it. Apparently it was some sort of pedigree for salarian so they could mate.

Shepard then went to check on Liara after retrieving some data that she was looking for, but he still had no clue why she would want it.

"Thank you for getting that system data," Liara smiled. She then looked at him seriously. "Do you remember the Shadow Broker? With the data you got me, I may be able to find information caches from his agents."

Shepard frowned. "Are you on the run from the Shadow Broker? I can help you."

"Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Shadow Broker is on the run from me. We crossed pass not long after you died." She then slammed her fist on her desk. "Since then, I've been working to taken down. With this data, I'm must step closer."

"I've never seen you ready to execute someone in cold blood," Shepard frowned. "What do the Shadow Broker do to you?"

"I was a job with a friend," said Liara getting to her feet. "The Shadow Broker's people caught us. My friend didn't escape. I don't know if he's dead or being interrogated, but I need to find him. I owe my life. And I need to make the Shadow Broker pay for what he did."

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"Actually there is something you can help me with," said Liara. "The data that you gave me has revealed something quite interesting. The Shadow Broker has several contacts here on Illium. The most powerful is someone called the Observer. Taking down the Observer will put me closer to the Shadow Broker. I could use your help."

"Tell me what I can do to help."

"Your data pointed me at logs kept by the Shadow Broker agents. The logs were deleted, but it may be possible to reconstruct some of it. Shadow Broker is cautious. His agents are referred to only their title and race."

"My inquiries have narrowed the Observer down to one of five operatives: a turian, a salarian, a krogan, a batarian and a vorcha," said Nyxeris.

"If you can refine the list, I'll know where to strike," said Liara.

"I'll reconstruct the data and see what I can find," Shepard assured.

Liara smiled. "Thank you, Shepard. When you find something, call me on the radio channel we used in the old days. I can't risk handling this in person."

Shepard nodded and began access all the data terminals you could find. However, there was something unusual about what he discovered. The Observer was mentioned to be female, but all the operatives were male.

He relayed this information to Liara, who soon realised that the Observer was none other than Nyxeris. Shepard made his way quickly back towards her office and discovered that her assistant's desk was vacant.

* * *

He went in to check to see Liara, but it wasn't even a scratch on her. "Nyxeris had some interesting data hidden away. Thank you, Shepard. I wouldn't have caught without you. I'm one step closer to the Shadow Broker, thanks to you. Here." She then handed him a cache of credits. "Nyxeris was very well-compensated. You need it more than I do."

"What the next step in your hunt?" Shepard asked.

"Now I gather information, peel the layers of lies, and shine light into the shadows. And when I find a Shadow Broker, I hit him with a biotic field so strong that what's left of his body will fit into a coffee cup."

Shepard got a feeling that there was something more to it. "That anger can't be just what you've told me. What else happened between you and the Shadow Broker?"

Liara stood up and looked out of the window with her back facing Shepard. "Did Cerberus ever tell you how they recovered your body?"

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Shepard shaking his head.

"I gave it to them. I gave them to you, Shepard. Because they said they could rebuild you. And to do that, I have to take it from the Shadow Broker, who was going to sell your corpse to the Collectors."

Shepard just stared at her as she sat back down. "Why didn't you tell me about this before now?"

"Because I screwed it up, Shepard. I barely escaped with my own life. And when I gave you to Cerberus, I told myself I was doing it for you, for a chance to bring you back." She then shook her head. "But I knew Cerberus would use you for their own business. And I let it happen. Because I could let you go. I'm sorry."

It took several seconds for Shepard to process this information. "You did the right thing, Liara," he said and she looked up. "My mission is important. I couldn't do it if you hadn't given me to Cerberus."

"Thank you," said Liara, with tears in her eyes. "I… I was afraid you'd hate me. So that's why I must destroy the Shadow Broker. For what he did to my friend, and to you, and whatever he's doing with the Collectors."

"Let me know if you need any more help," said Shepard smiled.

"Thank you, I will."

She then was cephalexin her office and then actress her computer. She waved at about a minute until the image of Ashley appeared.

"Liara?" Ashley stared. "It's good to see you."

"It's good see you too," Liara smiled. "I've heard that you've encountered the Collectors on Horizon."

Ashley frowned. "Is that all you heard?"

"I know Shepard's alive, Ash," said Liara honestly. "And I also know that Garrus and Tali are with him."

Ashley stared. "Tali, too? Is the entire galaxy going mad?"

"Maybe, but sometimes I wonder if it was ever sane," said Liara.

Ashley looked at her curiously. "You've seen, haven't you?"

Liara decided it was best to be honest. "Yes, just moments ago."

"I can't believe he joined a terrorist organisation?" said Ashley shaking her head. "I mean he knows what they did at his side and with them."

"I don't think he's actually joined Cerberus," said Liara. "I think you'll be more accurate in saying that he's using them."

"Yeah, he said the same and I don't know what to think."


	16. Subject Zero

"Welcome to the Normandy, Samara," said Jacob shaking hands with Samara. "We've studied your profile extensively. With your skills, I think you'll be an excellent addition to our team."

Samara nodded. "Thank you. From an organisation such as yours, that is high praise indeed."

"I've seen Samara's biotic powers at work," said Shepard. "They're substantial."

"We still don't know what we're going to find when we hit the Collectors," said Jacob.

"I will be prepared for whatever we encounter," Samara assured.

Jacob folded his arms. "Where shall we put you?"

"A room that looks out of the great empty void would be most comforting."

Shepard turned to Jacob. "Put her in the observation room on deck three."

Samara nodded grateful. "Thank you. I must meditate on the day's events."

Samara then bowed to the both of them and then left the briefing room. Jacob then turned to Shepard and saluted before following suit.

* * *

Shepard went down to check on Thane.

"Have a few minutes to talk?" he asked.

"Certainly."

"If you don't mind my saying, you don't really seem like an assassin," said Shepard as he made his way over to the window that overlooked the drive core.

Thane shrugged. "You've spent too much time fighting thugs who think custom-painted armour makes professionals." Shepard had to admit that he had a fair point. "The hanar trained my body for this role since I was six years old."

Shepard stared at him. "You've killed since you were six?"

"Of course not. I didn't make my first kill until I was twelve." Shepard still looked at him in disbelief. "They were training me. I was not reused and thrown away. I was an investment."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You were a child, not an investment!"

"I've given you the wrong idea. They valued me." Thane noticed the displeasing look on Shepard's face. "Yes, as a resource. But also as a person. They… regretted their need for me."

Shepard was more surprised that the hanar ever considered such a thing. "The hanar? Extremely polite, worship the Protheans? They don't seem like the type who'd train assassins."

"Every species trains assassins. The hanar are only unusual in that they need other species to do the killing for them. They have a strong grip, and natural toxins. But have you seen one move quickly outside of water, or fire a gun?"

The only hanar Shepard and seen holding a gun was from the Blasto movies and they were fake. Though Zaeed mention how he was almost choked to death on and said that he never underestimated a hanar ever again.

"Why did your parents agree to this?" Shepard asked curiously.

"The agreement was made under the Compact. It was an honour for our family."

Shepard frowned. "The Compact?"

"We live on the hanar home world because they rescued us—some of us—from extinction. We owe them our lives. This is the Compact."

"Why was your race going extinct?" Shepard frowned.

"Overpopulation," said Thane simply. "That must sound trite to you. Humans developed mass effect drive before the problem became acute. Our homeworld, Rakhana, had few resources. We can't even develop fusion power when the soil began to fail from overuse and pollution. The hanar founders a century ago. They sent hundreds of ships. Evacuate thousands of us." He then closes eyes. "Billions more had to be left behind."

Shepard remember reading that in the early twenty first century that humanity was suffering from global warming that nearly destroyed their planet. Fortunately, they replaced their fossil fuel engines with hydrogen before it was too late.

"What's the state of Rakhana now?" Shepard asked.

Thane looked at him. "Do you read your philosophers? A man named Thomas Hobbes? 'When all the world is overcharged with inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is war, which provided for every man, by victory or death.'" He sighed at looked at Shepard. "As Rakhana died around, my people slaughtered each other for mouthfuls of water. Crumbs of food."

Something about Thane's story didn't make any sense. "But you don't kill for the hanar anymore. You're freelance. What changed?"

"I was asleep for a long time, yes." Thane nodded. "I pay no attention to what my body asked to do. But then—" Thane then stood perfectly still and his pupils shrank. "Later dot trembled on his skull. One finger-twitched, he dies. Then the smell of spice on the spring wind. Sunset coloured eyes defiant in the scope. The laser dances away." Thane then lowered his head and looked back at Shepard. "My apologies. Drell slip into memories so easily."

Shepard was warned that drell could look back on their own memories with such clarity. He couldn't really understand it, but it looked like some sort of photographic memory get a lot more refined.

"Was that one of your assassinations?" Shepard asked.

Thane looked slightly uneasy. "Ah. Yes. Perhaps we can discuss it later. I've wasted too much of your time."

Shepard have a feeling that Thane was hiding something, but he can really force Thane into confessing. He decided that Thane would tell him in time.

* * *

Shepard then decided it was best to see how Samara was settling in. He found her meditating with her eyes glowing and forming a biotic spear in her hands.

She must associate presence, because she said, "Shepard."

"How are you?" he asked.

She broke her trance and looked up at Shepard as he bent down towards her. "I spent much of the last 400 years on my own; it's nice to have a colleague the chat with. I may be rusty at it, however. If you are patient, I would love to talk."

"I'd like to know more about the criminal you were chasing on Nos Astra."

She closed her eyes and looked back at him. "I hope you understand if I wish to avoid this topic. It is deeply tied to my code and beliefs. You might say it is personal."

Shepard could understand that, but make sure that it wouldn't impact a mission of this importance. "I need to know if it will impact the mission."

"It will not."

* * *

Shepard had a feeling that he would be able to get much more out of her and decided to leave her be. He went to check on Grunt and was a little more disturbed with Krogan humour and was a little more disturbed with the images that Okeer had planted in him. Wrex matter got people a little on edge, but at least he didn't recite gruesome things about battlefields and old warlords.

Shepard then returned to Gabby and Kenneth, who had finally finished installing the new FBA couplings they got from Omega.

"You're the best, Commander," said Kenneth. "We just got those FEA couplings installed. Now we only have to calibrate every week instead of every day. We're thinking about celebrating a newfound free time with some Skyllian-Five poker. Want to join us?"

Gabby rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kenneth. The commander doesn't want to play cards with grease monkeys like us."

"Actually, that sounds interesting," said Shepard.

Kenneth looked over to Tali. "You in, Tali?"

"Sure, that sounds fun."

"Fantastic! I'll get the cards."

"I haven't played Skyllian-Five since I was stationed on Elysium so I'm a bit rusty," said Shepard. "You'll be easy on the rocky, right?"

"Of course, Commander. It's all friendly."

Gabby shook her head. "Yeah, right."

* * *

It turned out that there was anything but friendly, because Shepard won hands down and pretty much bankrupt Kenneth.

"Be gentle on the rookie," Kenneth cursed. "I can't believe we fell for that."

"Never underestimate, Shepard," said Tali.

"So worth losing to see you taken down a notch," Gabby smirked.

"Beat me at me own game," Kenneth moaned. "You're all right Shepard."

* * *

Shepard got a message from Kelly that something was bothering Jack so he went down to hold the see what was up. He saw her pacing up and down looking frustrated.

"I got thoughts like little bugs crawling in and out of my head," she said shakingly. "I can't stop them. You know I have history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?"

She then sat down on the steps and Shepard followed her. "I'll listen to anything you have to say, Jack."

"Your pal, the Illusive Man? Never seen him before, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base. They did experiments. Drugged me. Tortured me. Whatever chance I had to be normal, they stole it by trying to turn me into some super-biotic. The doctors… the other kids… Every one of them hated me. They let me suffer."

Shepard shook his head in disbelief. "What did they hope to gain by torturing a little girl?"

"It was something about pain breaking down mental barriers, and how it might clear the way for a more biotic power. I'm sure there was a payoff you at some point, but I wasn't going to see it. I was wired up in my cell."

Shepard began pacing up and down. He was starting to remember why he hunted down Cerberus before. "They tortured you just to see if they could make us strong biotic? That's it?"

"Was in a position to ask, Shepard," Jack pointed out. "All I know is, a little girl crying in a cell, begging for the pain to stop…"

Shepard frowned. "How did you get out of there?"

"There was some kind of emergency and I made a break for it. The other kids came out of their cells and attacked me. So did the guards. I just killed everyone in my way and ran." She shrugged. "Guess my biotics had developed faster than they thought. I managed to get a shuttle off the ground. Drifted until a freighter picked me up. The crew used me, sold me. That's uplifting escape story."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You're absolutely certain that Cerberus was running the facility?"

Jack glared at him. "I was a kid, but I wasn't dumb. I know how to listen. It was Cerberus. Don't care how far down the chain it was." She then smirked as it relieves living a pleasant memory. "They thought they were so clever. Turns out, mess with someone's head enough and you can turn a scared kid into an all-powerful bitch. Fucking idiots."

Shepard then made his way up the steps. "I'm going to talk to the Illusive Man, and he'd better have some answers."

Jack, however, raised her hand to block. "He'll just deny everything. That's not what I'm after anyway." Shepard turned and looked at her. "I found the coordinates in your files. I want to go to Teltin facility on Pragia, where they tortured and drugged me."

"Then what?" Shepard asked.

Jack then got back up onto her feet. "I want to go to the centre of the place, my cell. I want to deploy a big fucking bomb. And I want to watch from orbit when it goes."

Shepard could see there was no way to stop her. "I'll set a course for Pragia."

"I owe you, Shepard."

* * *

Soon they were in a shuttle heading straight down towards Pragia and Shepard could see that Jack was anxious. He decided it was best for this mission to leave Miranda and Jacob out of it, considering they were both Cerberus and they were planning to destroy an old Cerberus facility.

Shepard made sure that he got the history of the place, to make sure they weren't actually killing anyone. From the information he could gather it was abandoned after Jack's escape, he had a feeling that the Illusive Man knew about this, but there was no way of proving the fact.

"I forgot how much I hate this place," said Jack as she fidgeted. "See landing pad? Has to be on the roof, or the vegetation would overgrow it in a few hours."

"Shepard, I am picking up thermal signatures everywhere, except that you're landing zone," said EDI over the comm.

Shepard frowned. "Something's distorting the sensors."

"This was a secret Cerberus facility," Garrus reminded.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, they build their equipment last. Assholes." She then looked back at Shepard. "It was a mistake coming back here, Shepard."

"Get a hold of yourself," said Shepard. "It'll be okay."

Jack shook her head. "I'm fine. Okay. Let's get on the ground."

The shuttle soon landed on the roof on the landing zone.

"Let's just get in there and planned the bombing in my cell," said Jack as she jumped off the shuttle. "I want to watch this place burn."

Shepard nodded and turned to Grunt. "Grunt, get the bomb."

Grunt nodded and grabbed the bomb. "We really going to blow up this place?"

"It's what Jack wants the sizes in the first time that I planted a bomb in a facility," said Shepard as he jumped off the shuttle. "This time however I'm not leaving anyone behind."

Garrus and Tali looked at one another.

"He still hasn't forgiven himself," said Tali.

"No. He knows that it was the right call, but wishes that he could have done more. He had to break the news to Kaidan's family. Rick told me that his mother cried, but his father understood and he felt sorry to Shepard that he had to make that call."

* * *

They began to explore the facility and as Jack looked at the remains, she began to recall her time of being there. Then when they turn round the corner they were attacked by varren and after dealing with them they looked around the place.

"This looks like an arena," said Shepard.

Jack nodded. "That's right. They used to stage fights here. Pit me against other kids. I loved it. Only time I was ever out of my cell."

"What were they studying?" Shepard frowned.

"Hell if I know," Jack shrugged. "Maybe that's how they got their kicks. I never stood anything that happened here."

Shepard shook his head, the people who ran this facility were sick no doubt about that. "Let's keep moving."

* * *

They made their way deeper into the facility and soon came across a security console. Soon a holographic image of a security officer appeared and announced the scheme of Subject Zero, who happened to be Jack.

Jack then deactivated the hologram and turned to Shepard. "That's not right. I broke out when my guard disappeared—I started that riot."

Jack had been young when she escaped, plus she was tortured and drugged which could have altered her perception. "Things might have happened that you didn't see."

Jack then began pressing her finger on Shepard's chest plate. "The other kids attacked me. The guards attacked me. The automatic systems attacked me. That doesn't leave lots of room for interpretation."

* * *

They soon discover that they weren't alone and I were attacked by vocha, who are clearly a surprise as they were that they were there. Despite them having high ground, given the others were able to kill them.

"That explains the varren from earlier," said Kasumi.

"It appears were not alone here," said Shepard looking over one of the vocha bodies.

"There from the Blood Pack," said Zaeed noticing the symbol on their armour. "Don't know why the bastards would be doing in a shithole like this."

"Something is going on here," said Shepard.

* * *

They soon entered into some sort of laboratory and Jack looked around.

"I matter came through here when I broke out, but I don't remember it," she said. She then looked over to the others. "This is a bad place."

"I think that much is obvious," said Garrus.

"Maybe the logs can shed some light," said Shepard as he made his way over towards a console.

Soon the holographic image of a scientist appeared. "Entry 1054, Teltin facility. The latest iteration of PergNim went poorly. Subject One, Four and Six died. No biotic change among the survivors. We lowered core temperature of surviving subjects, but no biological beneficial reactions occurred. As a side effect, all subjects die. So we'll not try that on Zero. I hope our supply of biotic-potential subjects holds up. We are going through them fast."

The hologram and faded and Jack looked furious. "This is bullshit! They weren't experimenting on the other children for my safety!"

"You can't help what they did to others," said Shepard calmly.

Jack shook her head. "You don't get it, Shepard. I survived this place because I was tougher than the rest. That's who I am."

Shepard nodded. "You move on, harder and tougher." He then turned to another console. "Let's see what else they were doing."

The scientist reappeared with a panicked look on his face. "It's all falling to pieces. The subjects are rampaging, and Zero is loose. We're shutting Teltin down." The scientist shook his head. "What a disaster. We'll infiltrate and piggyback onto the Alliance's Ascension program. Hopefully that will—who are…?" He stopped at a panicked look appeared on his face. "Zero, wait!"

The hologram faded just as the scientist was blown away.

Jack turned to Shepard. "Shepard, they started up somewhere else."

Shepard looked at her calmly. "Ascension is an Alliance program. It's a school for biotic kids. They don't torture children there."

Jack looked immensely frustrated. "A lot of this… isn't the way I remember it."

"There was a lot going on."

"I was dumb. I keep my eyes open now, and I always shoot first." She then gestured for them to follow her. "We're getting close to my cell. The place I came from. Let's keep going."

* * *

They soon entered into the next room and found more Blood Pack mercenaries. The leader turned out to be a krogan and he didn't look too pleased.

"Hey Aresh, it's Kureck," he said reaching from his radio. "Yeah, the intruders are here. You want them dead, we have to talk creds. You promised that a lot of salvage, but this place is a waste." Clearly is on the other end was talking to him. "Fine—we'll put 'em down. Then I'm coming in, and we're going to talk salvage."

"You're in my way," said Shepard.

The Krogan his looked to his men. "Get them!"

They quickly ran for cover just as the shooting began, Grunt placed the bomb down safely and then pulled out his shotgun and fired a couple of rounds into a vocha. Jack began slamming the mercs against the walls with her biotics going on a rampage.

Kasumi had closed and had sneak behind their ranks before shooting them in the back. A krogan turned and Garrus to this opportunity to fire a shot from his sniper rifle right in his back. Shepard fired an incendiary at the merc leader, setting him on fire and then fired a couple of rounds into him.

"Only room left is my old cell," said Jack. "Whoever Aresh is, he's in there. I want to plant the bomb there, anyway. Might as well do it on his corpse."

"But who else knows about this facility?" said Tali.

"Maybe Jack wasn't the only survivor or maybe to Cerberus scientist information of the servers," said Garrus.

Shepard shook his head. "If they wanted the data they could have collected it at any time."

"Instead of talking how about we find out," said Jack impatiently.

* * *

Jack led the way towards her cell and at first it was empty, but Shepard had a feeling that someone was watching them.

"Come out," he said. "We know you're here."

Then emerging from behind a corner was a man about Jack's age. Jack frowned at him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Aresh, and you're breaking into my home," he said. His eyes then turned on Jack. "I know you, Subject Zero. So many years have passed, and I thought I was the only survivor."

Jack quickly pulled out her pistol and aimed it at his head. "My name is Jack," she glared. "How the hell do you know me?"

"We all knew your face, Jack," he said looking at her without fear. "The inflicted hours on us so their experiment wouldn't kill you. You were the question, and I'm still looking for the answer."

Shepard looked at Jack. "Looks like you're not the only one pulled back here, Jack."

"I tried to forget this place," said Aresh as he looked around the cell. "But a place like this… it doesn't get you. It follows you. I hired these mercs and came back almost a solar year ago. We're rebuilding it, piece by piece." He then looked back at them. "I'm going to find out what they knew—how to unlock true biotic potential in humans. I'm restarting the Teltin facility." He then turned his back on them. "It will be beautiful."

That wouldn't be the work that Shepard would use and Jack looked just as disgusted as he did. "I wanted a hole in the ground—he's trying to justify what happened by using it!"

Shepard looked at Aresh appalled. "You'd the same thing to new kids? Wasn't this forced on you?"

"Some were brought from poor families on Earth or kidnapped from colonists. Most ended up here the same way I did: batarian pirates." He then rubbed the back of his head. "They did such horrible things to us. They must have had a good reason."

"There's no good reason enough!" Jack roared. "Are you nuts? You lived it!"

Shepard turned back to Aresh. "This place was like a prison. How did you get out?"

"We all attacked at once as they were taking us to the lads. They would put us down, but then Jack got loose. When I came to, he was over—the guards, the scientists, and the kids were all dead." He turned to Jack. "And you were gone."

Jack narrowed her eyes. "I stopped it, all of it. Maybe the others did have it bad, but what you're doing is just messed."

"Everything we went through must have been worth something!"

Shepard turned to Jack, he had heard enough. "We can blow up the place, but that still leaves him. What do we do with another you?"

Jack shoved past Aresh. "That's easy."

"Just leave me here. This is where I belong," said Aresh.

"Fuck that," said Jack as her biotics flared forcing him down on his knees. She then pulled her pistol and aimed it at his head.

"Jack, he's trapped in his past. You need a move on from yours," said Shepard.

"He wants to restart this place," said Jack furiously. "He needs to die!"

"He's crazy, and he's never going to restart this facility. You have to let him go." He then gave Jack a pleading look. "Your past doesn't have to control you."

Jack was reluctant, but she lowered her pistol. "Fuck. Get out of here. Go!" Aresh then ran out of the cell and Jack shook her head. "He's not worth chasing. None of it is."

"You did the right thing, Jack."

"Maybe." He then looked around the cell. "This room was my whole childhood. Give me a minute to look around."

Shepard nodded. "Go ahead. We need the arm the bomb anyway."

Jack began to relive everything as she walked around the cell and at the same time Grunt had placed the bomb in the centre of the room. Shepard and Garrus were in the middle of arming it.

"You know I can understand her hatred to Cerberus," said Garrus. "Can only imagine what she's been through."

Shepard nodded. "With any luck this experience will make her stronger, the longer and have a nice little talk to the Illusive Man after this."

"I doubt he'll tell you the truth."

"He does tell the truth, the only a little of it."

* * *

A few minutes later they were back on the shuttle heading back to the Normandy. Shepard had given Jack the detonator and they were just nearly waiting until they were out of range, in the meantime she was flicking the top of the detonator.

The Jack then press down on the button and Shepard banged on the door of the cockpit to inform the pilot to move fast. Seconds later there was a massive explosion and shockwave struck the entire shuttle.

"Feel better?" Shepard asked.

Jack merely smiled. "A lot."

* * *

Ashley was walking through the corridors of the ship and out of the window she could see the remainders she could see other ships of the entire Fifth Fleet outside. With eight of the ships destroyed they had to reassign many ships from other fleets to lengthen it.

Of course this week and the other fleets, but it was the only way to maintain their military power in different sectors of the solar system, especially now. Ashley then entered into Rick's office and found the man reading over the report of the autopsy.

"I see the reporters returned," Ashley noted.

Rick looked up. "Actually this is just one report of many. Most of the bodies were damaged due to gunfire so comparing them with the other bodies we've collected, if you pardon the pun."

"So what do they find out?"

Rick looked at her troublingly. "Not a lot and what they did find was father travelling. The Collectors are clearly an insectoid lifeform, but they don't appear to have any organs."

Ashley stared. "How can that be?"

"No clue, but the Alliance are dubious about these reports and it doesn't help that the specimens we have are not a 100% intact which makes the autopsy even more difficult."

"So we won't know for sure until we can get and undamaged body?"

"Which is not easy considering that they leave without a trace and even if we do reach them in time none of our ships would be capable of fending off there's and we don't have a countermeasure to combat their bugs."

"Shepard managed to do it surely we can?"

"Shepard has one of the greatest scientific minds in the galaxy on his crew," Rick pointed out. "Were getting all the specialist we can get our hands on, but I don't think it's enough."

"What are the Council?"

"Well they are finally making a move at last," said Rick bitterly. "The turians patrolling the borders of the Terminus Systems and the Salarians are sending STG teams to investigate these disappearance."

"That's not enough."

"The best we can do, the Collectors are smart phones in their efforts in the Terminus Systems. We can only send a few ships in since the attacks are random it's hard to pinpoint their location. What's worse those ships that do encounter Collector ships are never heard from again."

Ashley just stared at him. "So what you're saying is that it's all up to Shepard."

Rick merely nodded.


	17. Treason

Shepard was wondering through the corridors when he heard Joker over the comm.

"Commander, Jack and Miranda are in the middle of a… disagreement. Can you head it off before they tear out a bulkhead?"

This didn't sound good. "I'll deal with it."

"Take pictures."

Shepard then head as fast as he could towards Miranda's office and the door just open in time to see both girls' biotics flaring.

"Touch me and I will smear the walls with you, bitch!" Jack roared tossing a chair across the room.

"Enough! Stand down, both of you!" Shepard commanded.

Jack narrowed her eyes at Miranda. "The cheerleader won't admit what Cerberus did to me was wrong!"

"It wasn't Cerberus," said Miranda, not backing down. "Not really. But clearly you were a mistake."

Jack turned Miranda with fury in her eyes. "Screw you! You got no idea what they put me through! Maybe it's time I showed you!"

Shepard placed himself between the two girls, afraid in a fight between the two of them would destroy the ship. "Our mission is too important to let personal feelings get in the way."

"But your feeling." Jack narrowed her eyes at Miranda. "I just want her dead."

"You both know what we're up against. Save your anger for the Collectors."

"I can put aside my differences…" said Miranda sizing Jack up. "Until the mission is over."

"Sure," said Jack looking at Miranda unblinkingly. "I'll do my part. I'd hate to see her die before I get a chance to filet her myself."

Jack made her way towards the door, but Shepard raised an arm. "You two going to be okay?"

Jack merely shrugged and walked out of the room. Miranda on the other hand merely crossed her arms.

"It's a good thing you came when you did," she said. "As long as she does her job, we'll be fine. Thanks, Shepard."

"I was more afraid of the two of you would with the ship apart," said Shepard giving up a sigh of relief.

"I suppose that's the danger you have two powerful biotic in the same room," Miranda shrugged. "Actually is a good thing you hear, because I wanted to speak to you, in fact." Miranda then sat down on the couch and Shepard sat down opposite her. "I… wanted to apologise. I didn't fully believe you'd be up to the task. And it seems I was wrong."

Shepard was quite taken aback, he knew that Miranda was hard to read and she didn't often express her feelings. "Frankly, based on what I've seen, I wish Cerberus had recruited you earlier."

"I trust you, but I don't trust Cerberus," said Shepard bluntly. "Your experiments cross the line."

Miranda nodded. "All the time, yes. But I recall a Spectre who crossed a few lines while hunting down Saren and the geth." Shepard felt a little uneasy by that comment. "And we'd be lucky to have you. Too many join us out of simple xenophobia. We need more people here for the right reasons."

"What was Cerberus trying to prove by experimenting on children like Jack?"

"A mistake. No question. Not mine. And one that was corrected once we discovered the extent of the experiments being performed."

Shepard frowned. "With your intelligence, you could have landed any job you wanted. Why choose this?"

"Because I envy the time Mordin spent with the Special Task Group, working with people as smart as he was. Cerberus never tells me that something is impossible. They give me resources and say, 'Do it.' And they've given you even more. A new life, a new ship, the Illusive Man's personal attention…"

"The best thing he did was put you on my squad."

Miranda smiled. "You'd have done fine without me. I may not have believed it before, but…" She closed her eyes and looked at Shepard. "I don't have what you do—that fire that makes someone willingly to follow you into hell itself." She then stood up and looked out of the window. "My father got me the best genes money could buy. Guess it wasn't enough."

"You always bring up your genetic tailoring," Shepard noted. "It really bothers you, doesn't it?"

"This is what I am, Shepard. I can't hide it. The intelligence, the looks, even the biotics… he paid for it all. Every one of your accomplishments is due to your skills. The only thing I can take credit for are my mistakes."

Shepard could see that this was hurting her badly and approach her. "That's a tough feeling to live with. Maybe after we save the galaxy, you'll change your mind."

Miranda looked at him. "We can hope. Thanks for coming by, Shepard. I appreciate it."

* * *

Shepard then went down to hold to check on Jack, who was brooding.

"I needed to wipe that place off the map." She turned to look at him. "You took me there to do it, and I owe you." She then lay down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. "You don't know what it's like, Shepard. The have garbage like that following you. It marks you in ways you… you don't expect."

Actually, Shepard had a good idea how Jack felt. "I've made a lot of hard choices, Jack. Like what to let go."

"Hard to walk away from it. You'd think it would get easier now that the place is a crater, but what else do I know?"

"I never thought I'd see you showing mercy, but you let Aresh live."

Jack shrugged. "He was trapped in his past, reliving it every day. You showed me how that could be me. I'm not getting stuck like that. I'm better than him, and I'm sure as hell not carrying that crater around with me."

"Do you think you're different now?"

Jack sat up. "I know that place is gone. But I still kind of want to kill every person I see." She then looked up at Shepard. "No offence."

"You sure about this?" Shepard asked. "I want to do whatever I can to get your head on straight."

Jack narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't get all therapist on me, Shepard. You're not the couch type." She then waved her hand dismissively. "I hate that stuff anyway. Bullshit prison psych. You did me a favour and that's enough. More than I expected. I'll keep it together."

Shepard had to admit that it was progress, considering how he found her and what she been through. The only person he had ever seen this mess was Talitha and he received a message recently telling him that she had improved greatly.

* * *

Shepard then got a message from Kelly informing him that Tali had recently got a message that was troubling her greatly.

"Shepard," said Tali, who sounded relieved in seen him. "I'm glad you came by. I may need your help."

"What's the matter?" Shepard asked, he had never heard Tali sound this troubled before.

"I just received a message from the Migrant Fleet. The Admiralty Board has accused me of treason." She looked at Shepard as he could tell by her body movement that she was nervous. "I'm scared, Shepard."

Shepard's eyes widened. "Nobody who knows you believe you'd betray your own people, Tali."

Tali didn't seem so sure. "I don't know. They don't lay charges like this unless the evidence seems absolute. But thanks, I appreciate your faith in me, Shepard."

Shepard had to admit that he had never even considered what the quarians did with their prisoners. "What happens when a quarian accused of treason?"

"There's a hearing, with members of the Admiralty Board acting as judges. My father is an admiral on the board. He'll have to recuse himself from judgement. I can't even imagine what he's thinking right now."

Shepard had never actually met Tali's father and the only time he had communicated with when Tali joined the Normandy a week ago. Shepard could tell from reading the email that he wasn't too pleased about Tali joining a Cerberus ship.

Tali was moving around in a panic state. "The punishment for treason is exile. If they convict me, I can never go back."

Tali began to explain that if she was convicted that she would be banished from them Migrant Fleet. She also mentioned that the charges had infect the entire fleet for them to press charges which is why there trials was so rare.

Shepard could see the importance of this trial and that Tali needed to get it sorted out before they made an attempt on the Collectors. "Okay. Let's go and find a flotilla."

"I was going to book passage on another ship. I didn't think there would be time for you to help," said Tali. "Thank you, Shepard. I'll programme the Normandy with the flotilla's current location. The Admirals will be waiting for us."

* * *

They soon entered into the solar system where the flotilla was located. Shepard had never seen so many ships in one place before and they were orbiting round a pair of suns, no doubt to refuel.

"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya requesting permission to dock with the Rayya," said Tali over the comm.

"Our systems have you flagged as a Cerberus vessel," said the traffic controller. "Verify."

"'At the time adrift among open stars, along the tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I belong.'"

"Permission granted. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."

"We'd like a secure and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean," said Tali warned.

"Understood. Approach exterior docking cradle 17."

Shepard, Garrus, Grunt and Thane placed their helmets on so they could grieve. The quarians shares had no atmosphere so they couldn't spread infection and is very little need of it as they all wear helmets every single day.

* * *

They soon met up with the captain of the ship along with a couple of guards. His name was Captain Kar'Danna and he was Tali former Captain before she completed her pilgrimage. He looked at Shepard and gave a nod of respect. "Captain Shepard. Tali'Zorah told me a lot about you. I wish we could meet under pleasant circumstances."

"I never actually reached the rank of Captain," said Shepard. "Technically, I'm no longer in the Alliance military at all."

"You're the command of the Normandy, responsible for the lives aboard it," said Captain Danna. "That entitles you to respect among our people. 'May you stand between your crew and harm as you lead them through the empty quarters of the start.'"

" _Keelah se'lai_ ," said Tali. Shepard turned towards her. "It's an old-captain blessing, Shepard."

Shepard nodded and turned back to Captain Danna. "Tali the Normandy's crew out of many difficult situations. I'm here to return the favour."

Captain Danna nodded. "I understand. At the command of the vessel she serves on, your voice carries weight. I wish I could do more to help, Tali. The trial requires that I be officially neutral, but… I'm here, if you need to talk." He looked at Tali and was obviously regretting the say the words that exited his mouth. "They're charging you with bringing active geth into the Fleet as part of a secret project."

The way that Tali her body she looked bewildered and furious at the same time. "That's insane! I never brought active geth aboard. I only sent parts and pieces."

Shepard stared at Tali. "You sent geth materials back to the Migrant Fleet?"

"Yes. My father was working on a project. He needed the materials. If I sent back something that was only damaged, not permanently inactive…" She shook her head. "No. No, I checked everything. I was careful."

"Technically, I'm under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest pending the hearing," said Captain Danna, who was clearly hating his job even more. "So, Tali… you're confined to the ship until the trial is over."

Tali nodded. "Thank you, Captain."

"Preparations got underway as soon as you arrived. The hearing's been held in the garden plaza. Good luck."

Shepard then turned to the others.

"How can the excuse Tali of bringing active geth?" said Garrus shaking his head.

"It does seem most unlikely," Thane nodded.

"We better head the plaza and find out what's going on," said Shepard.

* * *

They made their way along the ship until they reach the plaza where they were greeted by a female quarians.

"Tali'Zorah va Normandy. I am glad you came," she said turning to them. "I could delay them only so long."

Tali immediately hugged her. "Auntie Raan!" She then released her hold and turned to Shepard. "Shepard vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. She's a friend of my father's." Tali then turned to Raan. "Wait. Raan, you called me 'vas Normandy'."

"I'm afraid I did, Tali," said Raan regretfully. "The Admiralty Board moved to have you tied under that name, giving your departure from the Neema."

Shepard could tell that this was a bad sign. "I take it being associated with a human ship is a bad sign."

"They spit me off my ship name," said Tali furiously. "That is good at acquiring me exiled already."

"It's not over yet, Tali. You have friends who still know you as Tali'Zorah vas Neema… whatever we must call you legally," said Rann.

Shepard turned to Raan. "You're an admiral. Does that mean you're one of the judges?"

Raan shook her head. "I'm afraid not. My history with Tali and her father forced me to rescuse myself."

"I imagine Father had to do the same," said Tali.

"You'll see inside, Tali. For my part, I moderate and ensure that the rules of protocol are followed, but I have no vote in the judgement."

Shepard really want to know who Tali's defender would be, there's no doubt they had things to discuss since Tali was under his command. "I guess we should get started." He looks to Raan. "Does Tali have a defence counsellor, someone who speaks for her side?"

Raan nodded and he could have sworn she was smiling beneath her helmet. "Indeed she does… Captain Shepard. She is part of your crew, now, recognised by quarian law. And remember, and accuses always represented by his or her ship's captain."

Shepard and Tali looked at one another, clearly neither one of them had expected this.

Tali merely stared at Shepard. "So, er… you would actually speak for my defence."

Shepard could hardly lead her this far and abandoned her now. "I'll do everything in my power to help you, Tali."

"Thank you, Shepard. I could not ask for a better counsellor."

Rann looked to Shepard. "Our legal rules are simple. There are no legal tricks or politic loopholes for you to worry about. Present the truth as best you can. It will have to be enough. Now come. I promise that I would not delay you."

* * *

Raan soon led them to the centre of the plaza where many quarian gathered and in the centre was a podium where three quarian admiral stood.

"So, anything you can tell me about the admiral?" Shepard whispered.

"The one on the right is Admiral Gerrel, he is in charge of the Heavy Fleet and is one of my father's friends and allies. The middle one is Admiral Koris, he's in charge of the Civilian Fleet, he my father have always been at odds with one another. The one on the left is Amiral Xen, she's in charge of several research vessels studying the geth."

Shepard could see there was a good mixture of good, bad and neutral in the judges. Shepard really didn't have much experience when it came to trials, but as was commented he did have a keen diplomatic mind. He hopes that he could help Tali out especially after everything she did for him and the crew of the Normandy.

Raan took her position on the podium and overlooked the three admirals. She then turned to everyone present. "This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestry who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to search this season. _Keelah se'lai_."

The quarians repeated the pray. "The accused Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, has come with captain to defend herself against the charge of treason."

"Objection!" Admiral Koris yelled raising a hand. "A human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!"

"Then you should not have declared Tali crew of the Normandy, Admiral Koris," said Raan. "By rights as Tali's captain, Shepard must stay."

Koris, must have felt embarrassed due to that outburst. "Objection withdrawn."

Raan then turned her sights down onto Shepard. "Shepard vas Normandy, your crew member Tali'Zorah stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her?"

Shepard took a step forward and looked at the Admirals. "If it helps Tali, I will. But in her heart, she remains Tali'Zorah vas Neema, a proud member of the Migrant Fleet." He then narrowed his eyes. "I regret that her captain is forbidden to stand at her side today.

Koris stepped forward. "Nobody has been forbidden from anything! It's a simple—"

"Lie to them if you must, Zaal'Koris, but don't lie to me and expect me to stay silent!" Admiral Gerrel roared. "The human is right!"

"Admirals, please," said Raan calmly. "Shepard's willingness to represent Tali'Zorah in this hearing is appreciated." She then turned and looked at Tali. "Tali, you are accused of bringing active geth to the Migrant Fleet. What are you?"

"Tali would never in danger the Migrant Fleet. She pleads not guilty," said Shepard.

Tali looked to the admirals. "I left parts and technology for teams to pick up. My father ordered me to do so. But I would never send active geth to the Fleet! Everything I sent was disabled and harmless!"

"Then explain how geth sees the lab ship where your father was working!" said Koris.

There were few gasps from the quarians and Tali stepped back shocks. "What are you talking about? What happened?"

"As far as we can tell, Tali, the geth killed everyone on the Alarei… you father included," said Gerrel.

"What?" Tali stared. "Oh, Keelah…"

Shepard took a step forward. "I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals, but right now our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet. The Normandy stand ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary."

"Thank you," said Raan. "Quarian strike teams have attempted to retake the ship, so far without success."

Tali turned to Shepard. "Shepard, we have to take back the Alarei!"

"The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship," said Koris. He then looked down at Tali. "But if you are looking for an honourable death instead of exile…"

"I'm looking for my father, you _bosh'et_!" Tali snarled.

Raan raised a hand to calm the crowd and then turned to Shepard and Tali. "You intend to retake the Alarei from the geth? This proposal is extremely dangerous."

"With your permission, Admirals, yes," Shepard nodded. "The good of the Fleet must come first… and Tali need to find her father."

"Agreed." Gerrel nodded. "And if you die on this worthy mission, Tali, we will see that your name is cleared of these charges."

"We can discuss that later," said Koris.

"Then it is decided," said Raan. "You will attempt to retake the Alarei. You are hereby given the leave to the Rayya. A shuttle will be waiting at the secondary docking hanger." Raan then looked to Tali. "Be safe, Tali. This hearing will resume upon your return, or upon determination that you have been killed in action."

Shepard nodded and slowly the crowd began to disperse. Once he was sure they were out of earshot he turned to Tali.

"Thank you for agreeing to take back the Alarei, Shepard. The admirals sound sure that my father is already dead, but…" Tali sighed. "I don't know. We don't know anything until we get there."

"How are you holding up?" Shepard asked concernedly. "They just threw a lot of fire at you, even before telling you about your father."

"I knew this was bad, but I guess you're never really prepared charged with treason. And my father… I don't know." Tali shrugged. "He could still be alive. They don't know for certain that he's dead. I just don't know, Shepard. And I need to find out."

Shepard nodded. "Let's go."

"Right. The sooner we get to the Alarie, the sooner we'll know what happened."

"Shepard, the secondary docking hanger it through the Conclave chamber where you are now. The shuttle they have provided is unarmed," said EDI over the comm.

"Understood." Shepard nodded.

"This has gotten a lot more complicated," said Garrus.

"Fighting against impossible odds, sounds like fun," said Grunt.

"I suppose if we are going to attempt to retake a captured ship from the geth, it's nice to have a krogan on board," said Shepard.

* * *

They wandered around the plaza are trying to get a viewpoint of several quarians. Among them was Reegar, he told them that their theory about Haestrom sun getting old fast was right. He only remained behind to argue with the charges that the admirals had based on Tali, he was one that suggested to the admirals that they tried to retake the Alarei.

They approached Admiral Gerrel, whose body movement show that he was pleased to see.

"Tali! I'm glad Admiral Raan got to leave the hit the Alarei. Hopefully you'll find something that clears your name," he said."

"I'm more concerned with finding my father, Admiral," said Tali.

"I wish you luck. Blow up some geth on the way." He then turned his gaze upon Shepard. "And you're Captain Shepard? Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema. You got Admiral Koris backing up worse than a krogan toilet. Glad to see Tali's captain knows how to handle a courtroom."

"I'm just here to help Tali, Admiral," said Shepard.

"I'm glad someone is," said Gerrel.

Tali looked at him. "You believe I'm innocent, don't you, Admiral?"

"I know you and your father. You've put too much of yourselves into the fleet to do anything to jeopardise our safety. And you're both smart enough not to make mistakes like the ones they're saying you made."

"Can you tell me about the other admirals? Anything that might help me change their minds about Tali?" Shepard asked.

Gerrel looked at Tali. "The one you didn't recognise, Tali, is Admiral Xen. She's on the fence. She takes Fleet safety very seriously. On the other hand, she's always been in favour of studying the geth. I hope she sees the benefit of Rael's research. Admiral Koris in the same whining suit-wetter he always was."

"You disagree with Admiral Koris' politics, I'm guessing? Or is it personal?" Shepard asked.

"The man is a damn geth apologist," said Gerrel bitterly. "Things we were wrong to try destroy them centuries ago. He wants us to search for new colony possibilities instead of retaking the homeworld. Any research on the geth makes him angry. You don't have much of a chance to change with him, I'm afraid."

Shepard then asked about his connection with Tali's father. Apparently the two of them served together during a batarian raid. Apparently the two of them had disobeyed orders and they bought a freighter back.

"It sounds like were dealing with more politics than just Tali bringing back equipment," Shepard noted.

Gerrel gave a small laugh. "You noticed that, did you? Tali's father wasn't just running weapons test on the geth for fun. He was looking for something to give us an edge when we attacked the geth in full-scale war."

"I know Father wanted to retake the homeworld someday, but are we that close?" Tali asked.

"I don't know, kid." Gerrel shrugged. "We almost had the votes. We just need to give people hope for victory."

Shepard did not like the sound of this. "I hope the quarian people find someplace to live, Admiral, but it sounds like you're playing with fire."

"We're too comfortable now, Shepard. We've got the largest fleet in the galaxy, and we just ride around doing nothing."

"We might need that fleet to help fight the Reapers, Admiral," Tali pointed out.

"Then we need a world to shelter our noncombatants while we do it."

Shepard had to say that that prospect was quite grim and completely out of his hands. "Thanks for the information," he said.

Gerrel nodded and looked at Tali. "Hang in there, kid."

Tali nodded. "Thank you, Admiral."

* * *

They soon crossed pass with Admiral Xen, who for her arms at them.

"Tali'Zorah. Given the circumstances, are you certain that speaking to me is appropriate?" she asked.

"I'm looking for information about the Alarei," said Tali. "I don't intend to bribe you in the middle of the plaza, admiral."

Xen then turned to Shepard. "Pleased to meet you, Commander Shepard. We owe you a debt of gratitude for your actions against the geth."

"Tali was with me," Shepard reminded. "Saren and the geth would have destroyed us all without her help."

"Your political machinations are transparent, Commander. They are also unnecessary." Xen then looked at Tali. "If you and your father were actually experimenting on active geth subjects, then you are simply idiots. No reason to waste resources on a trial. If not, then this is a tragic accident in the pursuit of a higher cause. Again, no trial is needed to determine that."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like your ideas about synthetics are in the minority."

"Yes. At least on the Admiralty Board. Han'Gerrel sees an enemy that must be crushed. Zaal'Koris would run away and hide on some new colony world. Shala'Raan is still undecided. I had thought Rael to be firmly in Han's camp, but if his experiments were on active geth, perhaps we have ideas in common."

"If we don't find Rael alive on the Alarei, what do you think will happen?"

"The power balance will be disrupted. Han loses a vote for his foolish and self-destructive war. That would favour peace, then, as Shala'Raan is too careful to risk her own neck. But if the admiral replacing Rael agreed with me… things could become very exciting."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You support experimental living creatures?"

"Rael should have felt no more guilty experimenting on geth then I do with performing surgery on childhood toy."

"The fact that you performed surgery on your childhood toys explains a great deal, Admiral," said Tali disturbingly.

"A ship travels faster than I can. With the right programming, it can choose locations, even defend itself when attacked. But it is just a machine. It was built for a sole purpose of serving its master. And it can be dismantled whenever its master desires."

Shepard was sure that the quarians already tried that and it led to a rebellion and then being exiled from their homeworld. First there was a major difference between a machine and synthetics, synthetics were able to think for themselves and defend themselves just like an organic would.

"Thank you for the information," said Shepard.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Commander."

* * *

They then ran into Veetor, who was looking much better since they last saw him on Freedom's Progress. He had talked to the admirals and told them how they have helped them in the hopes that they would listen.

After Tali confronted with Captain Daan, who informed her that he was under orders not to say anything about her father from Raan. Tali then practically screamed at Raan from hiding the truth from her. She then went to explain how she only did it so that the admirals would allow her to retake the Alarei. She then went on to explain everything they knew about the Alarei, which wasn't much. She also advised that they should try looking for records of the shipments in the experiments to prove Tali's innocence.

Raan then told Shepard about the connections to Tali's family, she had in fact been there when Tali have been born. She then wandered on to say how Tali's father was very committed to the quarian cause, spending very little time with his family.

* * *

As they made their way towards the hangar bay where their shuttle was waiting Admiral Koris approached them.

"Judging by your ability to play to a crowd, human. I have done Tali a favour by stripping 'vas Neema' from her name," said Koris.

"Commander Shepard, this is Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib," said Tali. Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Do not ask about the name?"

Koris places arms behind his back and looked to Tali. "I take no pleasure in this, Tali, truly. But you have gravely endangered and dishonoured our fleet."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "What exactly is your problem with my crew member, Admiral?"

"I respect Tali immensely. Her actions against Saren are to be lauded. But like her father, she wants nothing more but the destruction of the geth… the people we created. The people we wronged."

"The geth drove us from our homeworld!" Tali yelled.

"Of course they did. We try to kill them," Koris pointed out.

"You and the other admirals appear to have some disagreement beyond Tali's trial," Shepard noted.

Koris nodded. "You are correct. Tali, I apologise for being brought into your proceedings. In the other admirals are pushing for more. Rael'Zorah was researching new weapons to use against the geth. They would see our fleet destroyed in the skies over our homeworld rather than find a new colony and adapt."

"Can the quarians coexist with the geth after all your history?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know. We all deserve to find out. They our children, Shepard. We have done horrible things to each other, but it has to end. For both groups." He then looked to Tali. "That is why I cannot sanction whatever experiments you helped enable, Tali'Zorah. I believe this message needs to be sent."

Tali nodded. "I understand, Admiral. I do not agree with you, but I understand."

"We should move on," said Shepard.

"Goodbye, Tali'Zorah. Be well."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that," said Tali.

"I don't hate you, Tali. I just think your father's plans for war were wrong."

* * *

They soon boarded the Alarei and it wasn't long until they encountered several geth they were able to take them down. However, they were nearly taken out by a Geth Hunter if Thane had noticed it and tossed it back with his biotics.

Shepard then access they log from a quarian scientist and it mentions that Tali's father ordered them to bypass safety standards for their research, in fear that security protocols would slow them down.

They then found several parts from a geth drone Tali salvaged on Haestorm. Tali went on to explain how her father asked her to send anything new the geth had she discovered to him. Unfortunately, none of the salvage gear they found proved Tali's innocence.

They found more logs from quarian scientist, who packs the moment the geth entered into the system. However, it explain how geth got a board in the first place. A researcher mentioned how they disable the ship so not to endanger the fleet for their mistakes.

* * *

"This console must have something," said Tali accessing a console. "Most of the data is corrupted, but a few bits left." Tali activated her omnitool and began to read the data. "They were performing experiments on geth systems, looking for new ways of overcome geth resistance to reprogramming."

"Do you think testing weapons on the geth was right?" Shepard asked.

"It's not testing weapons on prisoners, Shepard," Tali pointed out. "I only sent Father parts. Even if he reassembled them, they wouldn't be seen sapient. You saw what Saren and Sovereign did with the geth. Any research that gives us an advantage is important."

Shepard frowned. "Did you know what kind of tests your father was running?"

Tali shook her head. "No. Father just told me to send back any geth technology I could find that wasn't a direct danger to the Fleet. I suspect he might have been testing weapons, but I thought he was just working on new ways to bypass shields and armour."

"Could any of that data clear your name?" Shepard asked.

"Doubtful. This is mostly research data. Effects of different disruptive hacking techniques. I don't understand all of it." Tali continued to access the console to bring more data. "But… they may have been activating the geth deliberately. I don't know. Nothing here says specifically. But if they were… then Father was doing something terrible."

Tali looks frustrated. "What was all this, Father? You promised you'd build me a house on the homeworld. Was this going to bring us back home?"

"Maybe it's time for your people to let go of reclaiming your world from the geth."

Tali turned on him. "You have no idea what it's like! You have a planet to go back to! My home is one hull breach away from extinction!"

"You've got a place here, Tali. Don't forward away in a war you don't need."

Shepard attempted to place a hand on her shoulder, but she backed away. "Don't need? Shepard, if I don't wear a helmet in my own home, I die! A single case could put me in the hospital! Every time you touch a flower with bare fingers, inhaling its fragrance without air filters, you're doing something I can't!"

Tali then looked away in frustration. "Damn the Pilgrimage. Without it, I might never have known what I was missing. What we have lost when we lost our homeworld."

"Have the quarians consider colonising a new world?"

"We'd have enough difficulty reacclimating to our own native environment. Adjusting for exposure to a foreign colony would be even harder. It's the difference between 60 years and 600. For anyone alive now to watch a sunset without a mask, we must take back our home. At the very least, we can take that one ship. Come on."

Tali then walked past them and carried on down the corridors.

"Who knew there would be so much spirit in such a little quarian," said Grunt.

"I did," said Shepard.

* * *

They kept on fighting through the ship as they got close and close to the bridge. Shepard came to a stop when he saw a dead quarian body on the floor and he was wearing similar armour to the admirals.

"Father!" Tali screamed, she ran bent down at her father's dead body. "No, no, no! You always had a plan. Masked life signs, or, or an onboard medical stasis program, maybe. You! You wouldn't… They're wrong! You wouldn't just die like this! You wouldn't leave me to clean up your mess! You can't."

"Hey, hey, come here," said Shepard picking her up.

Tali then hugged Shepard and he closed his arms around her waist he was willing to bet that the need that helmet she was crying.

"Damn it! Damn it. I'm sorry," she cried.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about," said Shepard.

"Maybe… He would have known I'd come. Maybe he left a message."

She then bent down to her father's body and accessed his omnitool. Seconds later a hologram of him appeared in front of them.

"Tali. If you're listening, then I am dead," he said. "The geth have gone active. I don't have much time. Their main hub will be on the bridge. You'll need to destroy it to stop their VI processors from forming new neural links. Make sure Han'Gerrel and Daro'Xen see the data. They must—"

Then they heard an explosion and the hologram faded.

"Thanks, Dad," said Tali sounding upset.

Shepard could see that this was hurting Tali and looked at her as she stood up. "He knew you'd come for him. He was trying to help you. It's not perfect. It's not what he wanted. But it's the best he could do."

"I don't know what's worse: thinking he never really cared, or thinking that he did, and this was the only way he could show it." She then turned to Shepard. "It doesn't matter. One way or the other, I care. And I'm here. And we're ending this."

* * *

They made their way onto the bridge and they found it crawling with geth. Garrus pulled out his sniper rifle and took off the head of a trooper while her back was turned. Thane had vanished and had somehow managed to sneak behind their lines to take out a Hunter.

Grunt decided to go in headfirst, literally, and slammed into a prime. Shepard managed to hack into a trooper and used it to fire at a Hunter and after which Tali smash it to pieces with her shot gun.

"That seems to be the last of them," said Garrus.

"There could be more the ship," said Shepard.

"This console is linked to the main hub Father mentioned," said Tali gesturing to the console on the bridge. "Disabling it should shut down any geth we missed. It looks like some of the recording remains intact. They'll tell us how this happened, what Father did."

"You sound like you don't really want to hear it," Shepard noted.

"No. We have to, I know. I just… this is terrible, Shepard," said Tali uneasily. "I don't want to know that he was part of this."

Despite this Tali activated her omnitool the console showed the image of Rael along with two quarian scientists.

"Do we have enough parts to bring more online?" Rael asked.

"Yes. The new shipment from your daughter will let us add two more geth to the network," said the male scientist.

"We're nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks," said the female scientist. "Perhaps we should inform the Admiralty Board, just to be safe."

Rael shook his head. "No. We're too close. I promise to bill my daughter at home on the homeworld. I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue."

"We'd have an easier time of it if Tali'Zorah would send back more working materials," male scientist pointed out.

"Absolutely not," said Rael firmly. "I don't want Tali exposed to any political blowback. Leave Tali out of this. Assemble new geth with what we have. Bypass security protocols if need be."

The recording ended.

Shepard looked to Tali. "It sounds like he was doing this for you."

"I never wanted this, Shepard," said Tali shaking her head. "Keelah, I never wanted this. Everything here is his fault! I tried to pretend it didn't point to him, but this… When this comes up in the trial, they'll…" She then turned and looked at Shepard. "We can't tell them, not the admirals, not anyone."

"Tali, without this evidence, you're looking at exile!" Shepard pointed out.

"You think I don't know that?" Tali looked at him and he could tell by her body language that she was giving him a pleading work. "You think I want to live knowing that I can never see the Fleet again? But I can't go back into that room and saying that my father was the worst war criminal in a people's history. I cannot."

"Rael'Zorah doesn't need you to worry about him anymore," said Shepard. "You heard him say he didn't want you to be caught in the politics!"

Tali shook her head. "You don't understand, Shepard. They would strike his name from the manifesto every ship he served on. He would be worse than an exile. He'd be a traitor to our people, held up for children as a monster in a cautionary tale! I can't let all the good he did be destroyed for this, Shepard."

Shepard shook his head. "We're not going to decide anything here. Let's see what the admirals. say once we get back."

"You're my captain in this hearing, Shepard," said Tali pleadingly. "It's your decision. But please. Don't destroy what my father was. Come on. If we wait too long, they'll decide we're already dead, and none of this will matter."

They began heading their way back through the Alarei and Garrus looked at Shepard.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know, Garrus," Shepard sighed. "I really don't."

* * *

When they got back onto the Rayya on the admirals had already assumed that they had been killed and deciding whether to exile Tali or not. It was safe to say that they were quite surprised to see them walking through the plaza, with various scratch on them.

"Sorry we're late," said Tali.

"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy save the Alarie," said Shepard to the admirals as they recovered from their shock. "I hope this proves her loyalty to the quarian people."

"Her loyalty was never in doubt," said Koris. "Only her judgement."

"Perhaps Tali'Zorah can offer something to encourage more trust in her judgement," said Raan.

"Did you find anything on the Alarei that could clarify what happened there?" Gerrel asked.

Tali looked to Shepard and he was willing to bear that she was giving him a pleading look not to say anything. However, he'd already made his choice and took a step forward to the podium.

"Shepard… please…" she begged.

"Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?" Raan asked.

Shepard looked up at the admirals and remember the infighting I was going on, it was his best and last hope. "Tali helped me defeat Saren and the geth at the Citadel. That should be all the evidence you need."

Koris looked at him. "I fail to see what relevance—"

"You're not really interested in, Tali, are you?" Shepard interrupted. "This trial isn't about her. It's about the geth."

"This hearing has nothing to do with the geth!"

Shepard slammed his hand on the podium. "You want people to sympathise with them! Han'Gerrel wants to go to war! None of you care about Tali! She knows more about the geth than any other quarian alive. You should be listening to her, not putting her on trial!" Shepard then began to pace up and down the podium. "Tali'Zorah saved the Citadel! She save the Alarie! She showed the galaxy the value of the quarian people." He looked up at the admirals. "I can't think of any evidence stronger than that."

There was utter silence and many people look to one another.

Raan broke the silence. "Are the admirals prepared to render judgement?"

One by one the admirals accessed their omnitools, Koris looked to Tali for moment before casting his vote.

Raan looked at the voters each of the three admirals had sent before looking at Tali. "Tali'Zorah, in light of your history of service, we do not find any sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges."

Shepard smiled at Tali beneath his helped.

Raan then looked at him. "Commander Shepard, please accept these gifts in appreciation for your time taking to represent one of our people."

Shepard looked at his omnitool and saw that she had sent them credit and some data. He then looked up at the admirals. "If you appreciate me, then listen: the Reapers are coming. I'm going to need your help to stop them. Please don't throw your lives against the geth."

"Thank you, Commander Shepard," said Koris, who nodded respectfully at him. "I hope this board carefully considers your advice."

Shepard hoped they did, because if they attacked the geth they would weaken themselves and the military power of the galaxy and considering how much trouble they had dealing with one Reaper they would need all the help they can get.

"This hearing is concluded," said Raan. "Go in peace, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. _Keelah se'lai_."

* * *

The crowd began to disperse and Tali approached Shepard.

"I can't believe you pull that off," she said in disbelief. "What you said… I've never had anyone speak like that on my behalf. Thank you for being there for my father and me, even when… Thank you."

"We can still go back in and get you exiled, if you want," Shepard joked.

Tali laughed. "Thanks, but I'm fine with things like this. It's fun watching you shout."

Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tali, about what your father said, what he did… You deserve better."

"I got better, Shepard. I got you."

Shepard smiled. "Come on, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Let's get back to our ship."

"Thank you… Captain."

* * *

Raan then walked up to them, but she turned her gaze upon Shepard.

"The admirals thought they will be hobbling you by forcing you to represent her, Shepard," she said. "I'm glad they were wrong." Raan then looked to Tali. "You did mention survivors. Did you find Rael, Tali? I'm sure he must have left you a message if he'd had time."

"He did leave a message—Rael used his last words to give Tali orders," said Shepard bitterly. "That's all that mattered to him."

Rael looked at Shepard with movement that symbolised understanding. "I know how that must seem, but the Fleet's safety was the gift Rael wanted to give to his daughter."

"I never asked for that. It wasn't the gift that I wanted," said Tali.

"I know. But it's the only one he could give," said Raan. "Good luck on your mission. No matter how dark it gets, the Fleet is always with you. _Keelah se'lai_."

Before leaving they talked with both admirals Gerrel and Koris and acknowledged how they shouldn't allow their fear for the geth cloud of the trial. Shepard did tell Gerrel what had happened on the Alarei and he promised not to let anyone know. He also told Koris to keep up his talks for peace.

* * *

Rick was in the conference room with Anderson as the talk to the other Councillors.

"These conversations are getting tiresome, Councillor," said the Turian Councillor.

"With all due respect, Councillor the Collectors do prove a threat," said Rick.

"We did warn your people when you've entered into the Terminus Systems," the Turian Councillor reminded.

"Yes, but since when have the Collectors abducted entire colonies?" Anderson asked.

"He does have a point, Sparatus," said the Asari Councillor. "Never have the Collectors made such a move upon a colony."

"We're already monitoring the situation," the Turian Councillor pointed out.

"I'm interested in how the acquire this technology," said the Salarian Councillor. He then turned to Rick. "You say that you found more husks on Horizon, similar to the ones at the geth use on Eden Prime."

"Yes, Councillor and we have already begun an autopsy upon the Collectors, but the results are confusing," said Rick.

"We were hoping that the salarians might be interested in assisting," said Councillor Anderson. "After all this is actually the first time that we been able to study the Collectors."

"Very well, I believe this situation needs more investigation," said the Asari Councillor. "At the moment we will maintain our monitoring upon the Terminus Systems for the time being."

The holograms then faded and Rick and Anderson looked at one another.

"It's progress," said Rick.

"Hopefully I will be enough to gain their attention," said Anderson. "You still have no word on Shepard?"

"A bit hard for him to communicate with Cerberus watching his back every second," said Rick. "However, I believe if he does find anything of value he'll send it straight at us."

"At the moment let's keep that between us," said Anderson. "Hopefully we might be able to convince the Council of the Reaper threat yet."


	18. The Collector Ship

Tali looked immensely relieved when they returned to the Normandy.

" _Keelah_ , I'm sorry I drag you into quarian politics," said Tali apologetically. "All that infighting, seeing what my father did… The you were the only one there for me, Shepard—the only cover I had against that storm. Thank you."

"I imagine they're trying to fill your father's spot on to the Admiralty Board," said Shepard. "What will that do to the balance of power?"

Tali shrugged. "I have no idea. Being exiled might have made it easier. A few people are suggesting me as a candidate. Replacing an admiral takes time, though. You may not have noticed, but quarians like to debate."

"Are quarian politics always like that?" Shepard asked.

"No. Sometimes it can actually get unpleasant. We're a very social people, Shepard. We have to be, to make up for being stuck in the suits. And part of that means getting involved into each other's business."

"The whole trial was insulting," said Shepard furiously. "You should have had time to mourn your father."

"I don't think the life is about what you deserve. But my father would be honoured that I chose to mourn him by blowing up a lot of geth."

Tali had also managed to install new sealed onto the Normandy and Kenneth and Gabby were looking through the systems.

"Kenneth, what has a new shielding done to your power grid balance?" Gabby asked.

"Not much. With built-in capacitor sub-systems, they have a surprisingly low draw," said Kenneth.

"Doesn't that mean the shielding booth won't last long and a fire?"

"True. They're built for hard, fast strikes, not firefights of attrition."

* * *

Shepard made his way to the galaxy map, but then Joker contacted him on the comm.

"Change of plans, Commander," he said. "Urgent message coming through from the Illusive Man. Hatching him through to the comm room."

"I'm on my way," said Shepard making his way over to the comm room.

It's about him a minute to reach there and the desk sank into the floor.

"Patching the Illusive Man through, Commander," said Joker.

Shepard stepped into the hollow projector and came face-to-face with the illusive man, who was standing up and smoking a cigarette.

"Shepard—we caught a break," he said. "I intercepted a distress call from a turian patrol. They stumbled on to a Collector ship beyond the Korlus system. The turians were wiped out, but not before they crippled the Collector vessel." He then sat back down onto his chair. "I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find as a way to get to their homeworld."

Shepard folded his arms and frowned. "Hard to imagine how a turian patrol could take out the Collector ship."

"Reports indicate the hull's intact, but all systems seem to be offline. They could be making repairs as we speak. I'm not saying it won't be dangerous, but we can't let an opportunity like this slip by."

"Are you sure this information is good?" Shepard asked, he had forgotten the last time he encountered the Collector ship.

"Information is my weapon, Shepard. It's good."

"Send me the coordinates, and I'll now take care of it."

"Already sent. Once you're aboard the ship, establishing uplink with EDI. She'll mine their data for information regarding your Omega 4 relay. Good luck, Shepard."

The hologram then faded.

"Coordinates punched in," said Joker over the comm. "Let's go find us a Collector ship."

* * *

They soon entered into the Korlus system and found the Collector's ship just sitting there among some wreckage of what Shepard assumed to be the turian patrol.

"We have a visual on the Collector ship, Commander," said Joker.

"Very low emissions. Passive infrared temperature suggest most systems offline. Thrusters are cold," said EDI.

"That thing's massive," said Joker staring at the ship as they moved in closer. "How the hell did the turians taking out?"

"After what we saw what one did the old Normandy, I'm anyone could do this amount of damage," said Garrus.

"They might have just gotten lucky," said Kasumi.

"We can figure out how the turians did this later, right now we need that information," said Shepard.

Joker moved to the Normandy in closer towards the ship, being very careful. He too hadn't forgotten what had happened the last time they encountered a ship like this.

"Ladar scanned do not detect any hull breaches on the side facing us," said EDI. "I detect no mass effect field distortions. It appears the drive core is offline."

"Rendezvous in 30 seconds, Commander," said Joker. "Good luck."

* * *

30 seconds later all of them were in the shuffle and were making their way towards the ship. They all have helmets and breathers on, because the ship had no atmosphere. Once they ended inside they jumped off the shuttle made their way through the corridors.

"I've never seen a ship like this before," said Samara.

"Looks like a giant hive," said Garrus. "Rachni, maybe?"

"I don't know," said Tali. "The ship's hull resembles stone."

Moridn frowned. "Very little décor, Collected appear not to interact with one another. Judging by the layout, they work like drones."

"Penetrating scans detected an access node uplink with Collector databanks. Marking location to your hardsuit computer," said EDI.

"Okay, everyone keep your eyes peeled for any Collectors," said Shepard. "We take this nice and slow and try not alert anyone."

"Shepard. I have compared the ship's EM signature to the known Collector profiles," said EDI over the radio. "It is the same vessel you encountered on Horizon."

"Maybe the defence towers socketed up for the turians," said Shepard.

"The missing colonists might be aboard," said Garrus. "If they're still alive."

* * *

As they made their way through the ship they found more of the pods they found on Horizon. They kept on moving and found something completely disturbing, a bunch of dead bodies littered all over the place.

"Why would the Collectors just leave a pile of bodies lying around?" Garrus asked.

"They must have been used for testing," said Tali. "If they were a control group, they would have been discarded at the end of the experiment."

"There are worse things than death—like been a test for twisted aliens," said Shepard.

"I know you're right, but it doesn't make me feel any better," said Tali.

* * *

They carried on down the chamber soon found some sort of repertory, Shepard managed to hack into the systems and Mordin began to look over the data. Garrus approached a pardon saw a Collector inside of it.

"That's a Collector," he said. "Were they experimenting on one of their own?"

"EDI, I'm uploading the data from this terminal," said Shepard switching on his radio. "See if you can figure out what they were up to."

"Data received. Analysing," said EDI. "The Collectors were running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and humanity."

Shepard frowned. "Are they looking for similarities?"

"I have no hypothesis on their motivations. All I have other preliminary results. They reveal something remarkable. A quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure: the Protheans."

All of them looked at one another in horror and then stared down at the Collector.

"My god," Shepard gasped. "The Protheans didn't vanish. They're just working for the Reapers now."

"These are no longer Protheans, Shepard," said EDI. "Their genes show distinct signs of extensive genetic rewrite. The Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs."

Like when they changed the humans on Eden Prime to husks. "The Reapers didn't wipe out the Protheans. They turned them into monsters and enslaved them." He then looked down at the Collector. "Still they're working for the Reapers now. And we have to stop them."

"No species should have to suffer through that," Garrus nodded.

Shepard then picked up an assault rifle that laying around. "Let's find what we need before the Collectors come to salvage this vessel. Move out."

"Liara always wanted to study the Protheans, but I don't think this is what she had in mind," said Tali has they made their way through the ship.

"A grim fate indeed," said Thane. "The Collectors are nothing more than victims of the Reapers."

"Killing them would be a mercy," said Samara.

"This would explain how come the Collectors have never communicate with someone verbally," said Miranda. "They were created to be drones, perfect machines for the Reapers."

"No doubt they got indoctrinated like Saren and began to sabotage key points in their war," said Shepard.

"Most likely," Modin nodded. "Have infiltrate key structures in society and in military and then began to destroy them from within when Reapers attack."

* * *

They soon entered into a chamber and found more pods attached to the walls and ceiling.

"Look—on the ceiling," said Garrus gestured. "More of those strange pods."

"Hundreds of them," said Samara. "I wonder how many are… occupied?"

"Too many," said Shepard grimly.

"I detect no signs of life in the pods, Shepard," said EDI. "It is probable the victims inside died when the ship lost primary power."

"That's not much of a comforting thought, EDI," said Shepard as they pushed forwards.

* * *

They kept on proceeding deeper into the ship and had yet to meet any resistance which made Shepard quite uneasy. Joker then reached them on the radio when he didn't help matters.

"Commander. You gotta hear this," he said. "On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship."

"I'm compared to the EM profile against the data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago," said EDI. "They are an exact match."

They all came to a stop and look at one another. Every single one of them looked slightly and easy and had their hands grasped onto the weapons.

"The same ship dogging me two years ago?" said Shepard. "Way beyond coincidence."

"Something doesn't add up, Commander," said Joker. "Watch your back."

"So this is the same ship that destroyed the original Normandy," said Tali.

"This smells like a trap," said Grunt with a firm hold on his shotgun.

"Agreed," Shepard nodded. "Keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual."

"You mean apart from the fact that we boarded a ship that attacked us two years ago and is housed to thousands of indoctrinated Protheans?" said Garrus.

Shepard looked at him. "Touché."

* * *

They soon entered into what looked like the main hub of the ship what they found was frightening. There had to be billions of stasis pods all around the ship.

"This is unbelievable," said Garrus.

"They could take every human in the Terminus Systems and not have enough to fill these pods," said Miranda."

Garrus looked at Shepard. "They're going to target Earth."

"Not if we stop them," said Shepard determinedly.

"One thing's for sure, this is a whole lot worse than we imagined," said Jacob.

"That's an understatement," said Tali. "Never in my life have I ever seen a ship like this and I live on them."

"We need to find out where their homeworld is in attack before they get a chance to attack us," said Shepard.

"There—on the platform," Garrus pointed as they made their way down the ramp. "Look like some kind of control panel."

"Where are the bodies of the Collector crew?" Miranda frowned. "Careful, Shepard. Something doesn't feel right about this."

Shepard then began to access the control console and activated his omnitool. "EDI? I'm setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the data banks."

On the Normandy, Joker watched as EDI pulled up the data from the Collector ship.

"Data-mine in progress, Shepard," said EDI as she scanned through the data.

Joker the notice some static on the holo-screens. He turned his head and saw the hologram of a Collector, but this one didn't had arms or normal legs and instead had insect-like legs. It then vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Uh… that can't be good," said Joker.

Suddenly there was a flash of light on the control panel, Shepard was accessing. Then the machines began to move on their own.

He quickly reached for his radio. "Everyone's okay, Joker. What just happened?"

"Major power surge," said Joker. "Everything went dark, but we're backup now."

"I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical systems," said EDI. Shepard thought he heard movement and turned, but saw nothing. "Shepard, it was not a malfunction. This was a trap."

* * *

Suddenly the platform they were standing on began to rise up and began to rotate.

"We need a little help here, EDI…" said Shepard.

"I am having trouble maintaining connection. There is someone else in the system."

Suddenly the platform stops suddenly and they all toppled over. Tali helped Garrus back onto his feet and Samara did the same with Miranda.

"Connection re-established," said EDI. "I need to finish the download before I can override any systems."

Shepard then noted another platform heading towards the man through the scope of his sniper rifle he saw that it contained collectors.

"Then you'd better get it done fast, EDI," said Shepard as he took cover.

"Look out—we've got company!" Garrus yelled as a second platform appeared.

"I knew those too much of a coincidence," said Shepard as he shot a trooper.

"I like to know how we fell for such a trap," said Grunt as he fired his shotgun.

"It was a bit obvious," Tali agreed.

"Just keep firing!" Shepard yelled shooting at a scion.

Samara protected them with the barriers and then send a couple troopers flying off the platform. Grunt then jumped from his cover and charged that the scion, he then promptly head-butted it in the head and then tossed of the platform.

"Eighty-four percent," said EDI.

"EDI! Get out of here!" Shepard yelled as another platform.

"I am simultaneously fighting Collector firewalls in over 8000 nodes. I am tasked to capacity."

"Here they come again!" Garrus yelled as the second platform appeared.

"We're getting overwhelmed," said Thane.

Suddenly one of the collector troopers like before on Horizon. No doubt be possessed by Harbinger, who promptly fired powerful biotic at them.

Garrus managed to break through his barriers with a sniper rifle and Thane then fired several precise shots from his pistol killing it. Samara used her biotics to push a scion over the edge and Shepard and Miranda to cut the last of the troops.

"Shepard, you must manually re-establish my link the command console," said EDI.

Shepard activated his omnitool and re-established his link with the command console and the hologram of EDI appeared in front of him.

"I have regained control of the platform, Shepard," she said.

"I knew you would let us down, EDI," Shepard smiled.

"I always work at optimal capacity," said EDI. EDI's program and pleaded and the platform began to move.

"Did you get what we needed?" Shepard asked.

"I found data that could help us successfully navigate the Omega 4 relay. I've also found the turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is unusual."

The platform soon landed and EDI's hologram appeared again and Shepard frowned at her. "Seems logical to me that they would have sent the initial message as bait."

"No, it is unusual because turian emergency channels have secondary encryptions. Is corrupted in the message. It is not possible that the Illusive Man would believe the distress call was genuine."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them."

"He knew it was a trap?" said Joker's voice. "Why would he send us into a trap?"

Shepard slammed his fist into his palm in anger. "That son of a bitches sent us right into Collector hands."

"We should have known this would happen," said Tali. "Cerberus can't be trusted!"

"There has to be some other explanation!" said Miranda. "The Illusive Man wouldn't do this to us. He… he just wouldn't!"

"Uh… Commander," said Joker. "We've got another problem. The Collector ship is powering up. You need to get out before their weapons come online. I'm not losing another Normandy!"

Shepard looked around the Shepard and saw that more of the machines were coming online.

"I do not have full control of their systems," said EDI. "I will do what I can. Sending coordinates for shuttle extraction."

"Come on. Let's move!" Shepard ordered.

"So can we discuss our arrangement with Cerberus?" Garrus asked as they walk down a corridor.

"The Illusive Man would not do this," said Miranda firmly. "Not without a reason."

"Don't you think you're a little too trusting to Cerberus?" Tali asked.

"No, the Illusive Man would not fund this mission and then betray us when we're halfway through."

"We can discuss this once were safely out of danger," said Shepard.

* * *

It was clear that the Collectors had been in stasis all this time and were now waking up. They were certainly determined to prevent them from escaping their ship. They even encountered a praetorian, but were able to deal with it thanks to the Collector weapon Shepard still hold.

Fortunately, EDI had some control of the ship and closed the doors preventing them from being overrun. Unfortunately, the Collectors were also doing the same thing and closed the door in front of them for they had a chance to enter.

"EDI? We've got a problem here," said Shepard.

"A temporary setback on firewall 3217. Reliving command through firewall 7164," said EDI over the comm. "I have successfully opened a door on the opposite wall. I will keep it open as long as I can."

"Down there," Garrus pointedly turned round the corner. "That's where we came in."

"We must be getting close to the end," said Samara.

"Just between us and the exit are thousands of Collectors," said Tali.

"This is going to be fun," said Grunt holding his shotgun eagerly.

* * *

They encountered hundreds of Collectors, who were determined to stop them from escaping. Harbinger even controlled several more troopers and they have to do with assassins. They kept on pressing forward and Grunt tossed any Collectors he got his hands on across the room.

Samara prove useful by using her biotics to push any Collectors back and Thane and Kasumi attacked the back ranks without them even knowing. Tali unleashed a drone to distract the Collectors and Shepard and Garrus use this opportunity to use their sniper rifles to take them out.

"Uh, Commander?" said Joker over the radio. "Hate to rush you, but those weapons are about to come online. You might want to double-time it. You know, so we can leave before they blow the Normandy in half."

"You heard him, move! Move!" Shepard yelled.

They all then ran as fast as they could along the corridors and soon encountered a patrol of husks. They would have overwhelmed them if it hadn't been for Samara and Miranda using their biotics to push them back.

Grunt took quite a bit of joy by tossing them around like rag dolls and blasting them to pieces with his shotgun. A husk grabbed Shepard, but he was able to free himself by punching it in the face and then find a couple into its chest from his pistol.

Once they were dealt with a continued to follow the corridor down and found the corridor they had followed when they arrived. The shutter was still there waiting for them and they didn't waste any time making their way over towards it.

Unfortunately, the door they originally came out of open than a platoon of collectors started to swarm in.

"We're out of time, Commander! We have to go!" said Joker.

"You heard the man—everyone onto the Normandy! Move!" Shepard yelled as he fired his assault rifle at the Collectors.

They quickly jumped onto the shuttle and exited the ship just as the lights came back on. Without hesitation they boarded the Normandy as quickly as possible.

"Strap in people—gonna make them work for it this time," said Joker, who began to fiddle with the controls.

The Normandy quickly pulled away from the Collector ship and Joker can define Shepard running towards him as quickly as he could.

The Collector ship then turned and fired its primary weapon at them. Fortunately, Joker was prepared this time and avoided a collision.

"I can't judge this guy forever, EDI," said Joker desperately. "Get us the hell out of here!"

"Specify a destination, Mr. Moreau," said EDI.

"Anywhere that's not here!" Joker yelled.

"Very well. Engaging mass effect core."

They soon exited the system just before the Collector ship fired on them again.

* * *

Once Shepard has got on his armour he made his way over towards the comm room.

"Call coming from the Illusive Man," said Joker. "Figure you've done a few words for him, too."

Shepard nodded and entered into the comm room just as the desk lower and he stepped into the hologram projector. At once he came face-to-face with the Illusive Man, who was sitting down in his chair.

"Shepard. Looks like EDI extracted some interesting data before the Collector ship came back online," he said smoking his cigarette.

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "EDI told us the distress call originated from the Collectors. You betrayed us. Just like I knew you would."

"We're at war. The Collectors are taking humans, and every minute we waited one more we give the enemy to prepare."

"I know the stakes," Shepard glared. "But we're supposed to be on the same side, and I can't trust you."

"Without that information, we don't reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other human may as well be dead." He then snuffed out his cigarette and stood up. "It was a trap… but I was confident in your abilities. And don't forget EDI. The collectors couldn't have anticipated her."

"You could have told me the plan," said Shepard angrily. "You say I'm important, but you sure try hard to get me killed."

"I needed the Collectors to believe they have the upper hand. Telling you could've tipped them off in any number of ways. Besides. I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could succeed."

Shepard folded his arms. "I don't risk people. There are always alternatives."

"You may not like being on the receiving end—neither would I—but the facts are with me. As mages we try to avoid them, these decisions need to be made." The Illusive Man then sat back down in his chair. "But more importantly… it paid off. EDI confirmed our suspicions."

The Illusive Man then picked up his cigarette and smoked. "The Reapers and Collector ships use advanced Identical Friend/Foe system that the relays recognise. All we need to do is to get our hands on one of those IFFs."

"I'm guessing you have a plan," Shepard assumed.

"We have a science team working on a derelict Reaper right now. I need you to pick up its IFF."

Shepard stared at him. "Where did you find a derelict Reaper?"

"An Alliance science team recently determined that the 'Great Rift' on the planet Klendagon is actually an impact crater for mass accelerator weapon." The Illusive Man then took a drink before he continued. "A very old mass accelerator. I sent a team to fight either the weapon or its target. They found both. The weapon was defund, but it helped us what the flight path of the intended target—a 37 million year old derelict Reaper. We found the damage and trapped in the gravity of a brown dwarf."

Shepard had to admit that entering into a derelict Reaper while it was orbiting a gas giant didn't sound particularly safe.

Shepard looked at the Illusive Man. "I get the feeling this isn't going to be a simple 'swing by and pick up our package'."

The Illusive Man nodded. "We lost contact with Dr Chandana's team shortly after they boarded. Initial reconnaissance reveals no clues, and it was too risky to commit more resources—but now we need that IFF." He paused to let out smoke from a cigarette before looking back at Shepard. "I'll forward the coordinates to Joker. In the meantime… I suggest you tell your true identity risk their lives unnecessarily. It will make things easier going forward."

"EDI—tell the crew to assemble," said Shepard. "We've got a lot to talk about."

"Of course, Shepard," said EDI.

* * *

Moments later, Jacob, Miranda and Mordin were in the briefing room as Shepard explained what the Illusive Man had told him. Also among them was EDI's hologram.

"So the Illusive Man didn't sell it out," said Jacob. "Could've fooled me."

"Lied to us. Used us. Need to access the Collector databanks," said Mordin as he paced up and down. "Necessary risk."

"There really wasn't any other choice," said Shepard with his hands behind his back. "Let's just hope this IFF works."

"My analysis is accurate, Shepard," said EDI. "I have also determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on the navigation data from their vessel."

EDI then showed a map of the entire galaxy and began to move an icon across it. They all watched as the icon got close and close it towards the galactic core and then to their surprise it actually stop dead in the centre of it.

"That can't be right," said Miranda.

"EDI doesn't make mistakes," said Shepard as he leaned over the map. "The Collector homeworld is located somewhere in the galactic core."

Jacob shook his head. "Can't be. The core is just black holes and exploding suns. There are no habitable planets there."

"Could be an artificial construction," said Mordin, who looked very intrigued now. "Space station protected by powerful mass effect field and radiation shields."

"Even the Collectors don't have that kind of technology," said Miranda folding her arms.

Shepard wasn't as convinced, in fact explain quite a bit about the Collectors. "The Collectors are just servants of our real enemy. And we've all seen what their masters are capable of. They build the mass relays and the Citadel. Who's to say they can't build a space station surrounded by black holes? No wonder nobody's ever return from a trip through the Omega 4 mass relay."

"The logical conclusion is that a small safe zone exists on the far side of the relay," said EDI. "A region where ships can survive. Standard relay transmit protocols would not allow safe transport. Drift of several thousand kilometres on in common, and would be fatal in the galactic core. The Reaper IFF must trigger the relay to use more advanced, encrypted protocols."

Shepard nodded. "Just because we can follow the Collectors through the relay doesn't mean we can take them out. I don't want to go after them until I know we're ready."

"Sooner or later we need that IFF," said Jacob. "I say, why wait?"

Miranda shook her head. "It's derelict Reaper. What if the Collectors are waiting for us? We may want to build up our team before we take that kind of risk."

Shepard nodded in agreement. "The more people we have on our side, the better our chances of success. We need to keep building up the team."

"It's your call, Commander," said Jacob. "Whatever you decide, we're with you."

Jacob then saluted and then left the room with the others following him.

* * *

Kelly looks quite relieved to see that Shepard was alive and well.

"You have me so worried when you were trapped on the Collector ship," she said. "Thank goodness for EDI."

"That sounds like more and just professional concern, Kelly," Shepard noted.

Kelly smiled. "You're more than just my commander. You're my friend. EDI brought you back to me. If she had a body, I'd give her a big hug."

Shepard smiled. "I'm standing right here. Where's my hug?"

"Oh Shepard…" Kelly blushed. "I wish there were time to get to know you better."

"Why don't you join me in my cabin for meal?" Shepard offered. "It would give us the chance to talk."

Kelly nodded. "That sounds wonderful. Lead the way."

They say that there are a lot longer than just for meal when they returned back to his workstation she yawned.

"Goodness. I haven't stayed up that late since my college days. I had a wonderful evening. Thank you, Shepard."

* * *

Shepard went to see how Mordin was doing, he was busy sorting through the data they had gathered from the Collector ship. More precisely he was looking into how the Protheans became the Collectors.

"You got a minute to talk?" he asked.

Mordin looked up from his research. "Yes! Good timing, in fact. Excellent. Made breakthrough. Can share results while next samples grow. Hate waiting for cultural analysis. Never fast enough. Usually no result in advance. Just checking work. Have to be careful."

Mordin then noticed that Shepard was losing track. "Getting off track. Discovery. Based on Prothean-Collector connection, can explain technology, chart Reaper species modification. Fall of Protheans."

Shepard was now intrigued. "Tell me what happened."

"Early stages similar to indoctrination. Get captured Protheans laughed intelligence over several cloned generations. Cybernetic augmentation widespread afterwards." He then scratched his chin. "As Protheans failed, Reapers added tech to conference. Mental capacity almost gone, replaced by overworked sensory input, transfers. Transmitting data to masters."

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" Shepard asked hopefully.

Mordin shook his head. "No! No glands, replaced by tech. No digestive system, replaced by tech. No soul. Replaced by tech. Whatever they were, gone forever. Understand now?" Mordin then looked furious. "No art, no culture. Closer to husks than slaves. Tools for Reapers. Protheans dead. Collectors just final insult. Must be destroyed."

"I didn't think you needed any more motivation than you already had to stop the Collectors."

Mordin smiled. "Enjoy challenge. Saw necessity of attack on Collectors after plague on Omega. Their work, my people. How to care about two armies. One wins, one loses. Always work to do after. Now have more context. See what Collectors are." He looked up at Shepard. "Wasn't looking for other work before. Don't mean to imply that. Just committed now. Won't let you down."

Shepard folded his arms. "You said the Collectors had no art. I had no idea you cared about that kind of thing."

Mordin shrugged. "Personal interest negligible. Sang a little. Multispecies productions the cultural exploration. Gilbert and Sullivan. Always had the do the patter songs. But not about me. Cultural artistic expression reflects philosophical revolution, interest in growth, perspective, observation, interpretation. Suspect you won't see any art in Collector Base. Tools for Reapers. Worse than the geth."

Shepard looked up at Mordin. "I'm sorry, I know allows important, but…" He stared at Mordin with a bemused look. "You perform Gilbert and Sullivan?"

Mordin smiled.

 _I am the very model of scientists salarian,_

 _I've studied species turian, asari, and batarian._

 _I'm quite good at genetics (as a subject of biology)_

 _because I am an expert (which I know is a tautology)._

 _My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian,_

 _I am the very model of scientist salarian._

Mordin then turned back toward Shepard and cleared his throat. Shepard just stared at him for moment before shaking his head. "What is it about the Collectors' modifications that offers you so much?"

"Disrupts socio-technological balance! All scientific advancement due to intelligent overcoming, compensating for limitations. Can't carry a load, so invent wheel. Can't catch food, so invent spear. Limitations! No limitations, no achievement. No advancement, culture stagnates!"

Mordin sighed. "Works ever way, too. Advancement before culture is ready disastrous. Saw it with krogan. Uplifted by salarians. Disastrous. Our fault."

Shepard stared at Mordin. "You blame the salarians from what the krogan did?"

Mordin nodded. "Yes. Like giving nuclear weapons to cavemen. krogan and prepare for spaceflight, technological advance. Krogan could have evolved alone. Work out aggress on. Been ready to use new tech responsibly. Instead, salarians came. Disrupts krogan culture. Use krogan as blunt instruments against rachni. Shortsighted. Foolish."

"If you feel that way, why do you work on the genophage modification?" Shepard asked.

"Talks before. Best option. That or kill them all. If around first contact, would have argued against it. Wasn't there then. Do what I can."

Shepard nodded. "Thanks for sharing what you've learned, Mordin."

* * *

Ashley was with Anderson as he began going through reports from Rick.

"Sir, I've been meaning to ask you?" said Ashley.

"You would know what I think Shepard joining Cerberus?" Anderson guessed.

Ashley nodded.

"I can't say that I approve of his decision, but I can see why he did it," said Anderson. "He needed resources and very few people we believe him about the Reapers. I don't like Cerberus, but I can play nice with them if they can handle our Collector problem."

"You don't seriously believe that Shepard first, not after our history?"

"No. If he did trust them he would've said be quite a bit of information about Cerberus through a secure channel," said Anderson.

Ashley blinked. "He did what?"

"Apparently the Blue Suns had kidnapped and tortured a Cerberus agent information. Shepard managed to deal with the mercenaries, but he was too late to save the agent. He then forward the data to me. Unfortunately, it's encrypted so will take years for us to break."

Ashley shook her head. "I'm just not sure he's same and I once knew."

"Either way he's the only Shepard we've got."

Ashley merely nodded.


	19. Eye for an Eye

Shepard brought word from Kelly that both Garrus and Thane were troubled. Decided headed the batteries first check on Garrus.

Garrus turned when he saw him. "Shepard. I'm glad you came by. I've got something. I may need your help." Garrus then made his way over to his table and started to fix mods onto his sniper rifle. "You remember Sidonis? The one who betrayed my team? I've found a lead on him. There's a specialist on the Citadel; name's Fade. He's an expert at helping people disappear. Sidonis was seen with him."

"What happened? How did Sidonis betray your team?" Shepard asked.

"He tipped off the mercs. Told them where our base was. He drew me out with a false job, then let the mercs hit my team. My men weren't prepared. They tried to hold them off…" Garrus mandibles clicked. "By the time I got back, there were only two survivors. They didn't last long. All ten of them, dead. Because of him."

Shepard could see that Garrus was determined and he needed this office chairs before they could handle the Collectors. "Where do we find Fade?"

"I've arranged a meeting," said Garrus finishing putting mods on his sniper rifle. "We'll meet him in a warehouse near the Neon Markets, down on Zakera Ward." He then looked at Shepard appreciatively. "Thanks, Shepard. I appreciate you taking the time to help me."

* * *

Shepard then went to see Thane and he seemed to be able to sense his presence before he actually spoke.

He nodded "Shepard."

"Is there something wrong?" Shepard asked.

"Yes." He nodded. "Now that you are here, though—It seems more difficult to talk about."

"I've got time," said Shepard. "Taken at your own pace."

"Thank you. I fear I've already done that for too long." Thane then rose to his feet and looked collection of weapons with his hands behind his back. "I had a family, once. I still have a son. His name is Kolyat. I haven't seen him for a very long time."

"How long has it been since you talked?" Shepard asked walking over towards him.

"Ten years. He showed me some of his schoolwork and asked if we could dance crazy. We did that when he was younger."

"What sort of dance is that?" Shepard asked.

"It's—" Thane then came out of focus. "I checked my extranet contacts. I expect an update on my next target. The consul plays music. Old. Unfashionable. Kolyat jumped into the room. 'Hi, Father!' Runs around in circles. I scoop him up. Toss them into the air. He shrieks, laughs. 'Spin me!' The consul beeps. I put him down. Click the message. 'Father,' he pleads. Tugs my sleeve. 'I need to read this,' I say. I don't look at him."

Shepard could definitely sense tension between him and son, it was a little more information that he wanted. "Did something happen to them?"

"I abandoned them. Oh, not all at once. Nothing dramatic. No sneaking out in the middle of the night. No final argument or slammed door." He closes eyes and shook his head. "I just… did my job. I hunted and killed across the galaxy. 'Always on business,' my wife would tell people. I was always away on business."

Shepard had to admit the news that he had a son was a bit shocking. "You never mentioned this before. Why now?"

"When my wife departed from her body, I—attended to that issue. I left Kolyat the care of aunts and uncles. I have not seen or talked to him since."

"That's not the choice I expected," Shepard frowned. "Why did you raise him yourself?"

"My body is blessed the skill of taking life. The hanar honed them in me. I have few others. I didn't want that life for Kolyat. I hoped he would find his own way. If he hated me, so be it. He would not have shared the path of sin." He then turned to face Shepard. "I use my contacts to trace Kolyat. He had become—disconnected. He does what his body wills."

Shepard frowned. "You'll have to explain that one to me."

"Disconnected. The body is not our true self. The soul is. Body and Soul work as one in a Whole Person. When the soul is weakened by despair or fear—when the body is ill or injured, individual is disconnected. No longer Whole."

Shepard couldn't really understand it, but there again he was never trained by the hanar become an assassin. "What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?"

"Something happened that should not have. He knows where I've been, what I've done. I don't know his reasons, but he has gone to the Citadel. He has taken a job as a hit man. I would like your help to stop hum. He is—That is not happy should walk."

Shepard frowned. "You don't hire of raw rookie for contract killing."

"I'm afraid someone may have seen we share a name, and assumed we share skills." Thane shook his head in confusion. "I don't know why he would accept the task."

"To be closer to you, maybe?"

"That thought haunts me more than any other."

Shepard doubted that was the reason though, especially after what Thane said. "Maybe name-dropped you to get hired."

Thane nodded. "It's possible. But I don't think so. It doesn't seem right. My name—he should not respect it."

Shepard could not see why Thane would need him. "Thane, I don't have your contacts, and I don't have your tracking skills. Why do you need my help for this?"

"I don't need your help. I want it. The last time I saw my son—" Thane's eyes then went out of focus. "They've wrapped her body in sea-vines. Weighted it with stones. He tries to pull from me. Calls for her. The hanar lift her off the platform. They sang like bells. 'The Fire has gone to the kindled anew.' He begs them not to take her away. They let her body slide into the water. He hits me. 'Don't let them! Stop them! Why weren't you—?' It rains. It always rains on Kahje. Warm water pours down his face."

Thane's eyes became focused again and Shepard could see that that memory hurt him more than anything. Shepard closes eyes. "I didn't mean to make you relive that."

"Perfect memory. It is sometimes a burden."

Shepard could see that this needed Thane's attention more than anything. "I'll get us to the Citadel as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Shepard. I'll be meditating into you need me."

* * *

They soon reached the Citadel and were making their way via skycar.

"I found references to afford a named Fade in C-Sec crime reports, Shepard," said EDI over the radio. "Perhaps that is a good place to start looking. Also, according to C-Sec, a drell recently passed through customs. The C-Sec officer may have more information."

"Let's try and find this Fade first," said Shepard. "If we help them find this guy in maybe they'll be willing to help us with your son, Thane."

"Yes. I agree," Thane nodded.

* * *

They managed to gain some information on found that Fade operators in a warehouse in one of the wards. There were making their way towards the warehouse when they encountered an argument going on between a C-Sec officer, a volus and a young quarian girl.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to take a statement here," said the C-Sec officer.

"There's nothing to talk about!" said the volus angrily. "She stole my credit chit. Arrest her!"

"I did not!" the quarian yelled. "Just because I'm a quarian—!"

The C-Sec officer held his hand out. "I need you to stop and take a deep breath."

The volus quickly turned on him. "You're mocking me, Earth-clan! Just because the Vol-clan need—"

"It was a poor choice of words, sir. I apologise."

Shepard shook his head and turned to the quarian. "You say you're falsely accused?"

"I was walking to the used ship dealer when he barged into me outside the Sirta Foundation. He didn't stop or say he was sorry. A minute later, he turns up with C-Sec and arrest me for stealing his damn chit!"

"You ran into each other at the Sirta Foundation. Is it possible the chit fell out of his pocket there?"

She shrugged. "I guess. Sure. All I know is, I didn't take it."

Shepard then turned to the C-Sec officer. "Do you know who's telling the truth?"

The C-Sec officer shrugged. "My omnitool can tell the quarian doesn't have a chit on her. But she could have stashed it to recover later." He pressed a few buttons on his datapad. "You know what quarians are like. And she's definitely a vagrant. I'll run her in and see what Bailey wants to do with her."

"She's not a vagrant. She's on pilgrimage," said Tali angrily. "It's a tradition in which—"

The C-Sec officer turned on her. "Look, you can take your traditions and cram them. Every time a quarian shows up here, it's trouble."

Shepard looked down at the volus. "You say she stole your credit chit?"

"She must have. When I left the Sirta Foundation store, she ran right into me," said the volus angrily.

Shepard shook his head. "How does running into you mean she stole your credit chit?"

"That's how pickpockets work. They bump into you and used as a cover for rifling your pockets. You can't turn your back on these clanless quarians. Thieves, all of them."

Tali marched up to him. "Quarians are only forced to steal when people like you won't let them have real jobs."

The volus looked at her in a disapproving way. "And I think my taxes pay to support you here. Go back to your fleet, clanless."

"I am clan Zorah, crew of the starship Neema. And you are an idiot."

Tali looked as if she was going to kill and Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not worth getting angry about."

"My brain agrees with you," said Tali as she moved away from the volus. "My gut says I should Jack his suit's olfactory filters so that everything smells like refuge."

Garrus looked at her with admiration. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Are you sure you didn't leave your chit at the Sirta Foundation?" Shepard asked the volus.

"Of course not! You think I'd make a mistake like that?" Shepard decided not to answer that question. "I didn't even buy anything there. The chit stayed in my pocket."

Shepard had a feeling that the C-Sec officer will never be able to find the truth on his own. "I'll see if I can find out what happened."

The C-Sec officer shook his head. "Sir, this is a C-Sec matter. We'll do all we—"

"Bah!" the volus scoffed.

"All we can to resolve this," the C-Sec officer continued. "We don't need civilian help. If you do know what happened to the chit, please let one of our offices know."

* * *

Clearly the officer had no idea who he was and it was clear that he was a sorry excuse for a C-Sec officer. He spent so much time questioning the two of them that he failed to check at the scene of the alleged crime.

Shepard followed the volus' footsteps until he came to Saronis Applications. The owner said that the volus had left his credit chit behind after he bought some environmental equipment. The clerk said that he would keep the chit for the volus should become.

Shepard soon returned to them and looked at the volus. "You forgot your credit chit at Saronis Applications. The clerk is holding it for you."

The volus looked embarrassed. "Oh. Well. The quarian could have stolen it."

"I'll close this event report," said the C-Sec officer. He then turned to the quarian. "But I'll be watching you. Get a permanent residence, or I'll run you in for vagrancy."

The C-Sec officer was about to leave, but Shepard grabbed his arm. "Are you two serious?" he said furiously.

"What?" said the volus.

Shepard bent down at him and glared. "You are falsely accuse this girl for stealing from you." He then shoved him. "All you have to say now is that she 'could have' stolen it?"

The volus looked at him furiously. "Now just a min—"

Shepard ignored him and grabbed the helm of the shirt of the C-Sec officer. "And you. She gets harassed and insulted by this guy, and you throw in a threat to arrest her for vagrancy?"

C-Sec officer glared at him. "How about I run you in for obstruction of justice?"

Shepard released him and narrowed his eyes. Clearly the man didn't know who he was talking to. "You think you're going to 'run in' a Spectre? I think both of you should get out of here."

C-Sec officer walked off as did the volus. "Son of a…"

The quarian turned to face him gratefully. "Thank you. I—I wish I could give you something more than words."

"Can you take care of yourself from here?" Shepard asked.

"I guess. I mean, most nights I eat nutrient paste in a turian shelter. But I'm surviving."

"Good luck, Lia'Vael," said Tali.

* * *

Shepard and Garrus soon found themselves in an abandoned storage facility where they were supposed to meet Fade. There were a couple of krogan waiting and then to their surprise emerging from behind the shells was a volus.

"Fade?" Shepard blinked. "You know quite how I imagined you."

"Looks can be deceiving," said the volus. "So… which one of you wants to disappear?"

Garrus took a step forward. "I'd rather see you make someone reappear."

Fade clearly could see where this was going. "Ah… that's not the service we provide."

Garrus narrowed his eyes. "Make an exception." He then pulled out his pistol. "Just this once."

"Damn it," he said. He then turned his krogan bodyguards. "Quick… shoot them, you lumbering mountains!"

The krogan raise their rifles, but Shepard and his companions raise their weapons at them.

"Why don't you to find somewhere else to skulk?" Garrus suggested.

The krogan were clearly smarter than they looked, because they walked off leaving Fade all by himself.

"Just like that? You're not getting paid for this!" he yelled. He then shook his head. "What's the point of hiring protection if they won't protect you?"

"We're looking for someone," said Shepard. "A client of yours."

"Not mine," he said quickly. "I'm not Fade. I just work for him. Sort of."

Shepard wasn't surprised. "I knew it."

Garrus then walked over to the volus. "Well then maybe you'd tell us where to find him."

"Yes. Of course," he said quickly. "He's in the factory district, works out of the old prefab foundry."

Garrus looked at Shepard. "I know the place."

"Uh… he's got a lot of mercs there… Blue Suns!" said the volus. "Harkin things they're protect him."

Garrus looked up. "Harkin?"

Shepard recognised the name although he never actually met the man. Two years ago Anderson mentioned him as a drunkard C-Sec officer who got fired from his superiors.

"What do the Blue Suns have to do with this?" Shepard asked.

"The use of services… to help their people infiltrate businesses and various organisations here on the Citadel."

Garrus mandibles clicked. "Bastard. He's using C-Sec to help those scum."

The volus shook his head. "No, no, no. Well, not really. He got fired from C-Sec a while ago. But he still knows the systems."

"Interesting." Garrus looked at Shepard. "But it changes nothing. We still need to find him before we can get to Sidonis."

"Well, let's go pay Harkin a visit."

"We'll need to go to the transit station. I can get us to him from there."

"So. I… I can go?" said the volus looking at them.

"Sure, but if we don't find Harkin, we'll be back for you," Garrus warned.

"Oh good."

"Do you know this Harkin?" Thane asked.

"Anderson mentioned him I was trying to find evidence against Saren," said Shepard. He looked to Garrus. "He was caught drinking on the job, wasn't he?"

Garrus nodded. "It was never really good officer to begin with."

"Why did they fire him sooner?" Samara asked.

"The human embassy was protecting him," said Shepard. "It would look bad on humanity year one of the first human to join C-Sec got fired. However, as we got more men in C-Sec the embassy stopped protecting him."

"No one was sorry to see him go," said Garrus.

"Well, now we need to find," said Shepard.

* * *

An hour later they were in a skycar and flying inside with them was Tali and Thane. Garrus parked the skycar next to the facility and they exited it. There they found Harkin and a couple of Blue Sun mercs.

"There he is," said Shepard.

Harkin eyes widened. "Shepard?" He then quickly turned to his men. "Don't just stand there… stop them. Stop them!"

Harkin then made a break for it as his men fired at them.

"Run all you want Harkin. We'll fine you!" Garrus yelled.

* * *

Taking down the Blue Suns was easy and they proceeded deeper into the facility where they encountered more Blue Suns and mechs. It was clear that Harkin paid no expense for protection and it was also clear that he didn't pay enough.

"Harkin's in here somewhere," said Garrus with his claws firmly on his sniper rifle. "I can smell him."

"You seem to be enjoying this a bit too much," Tali noted.

"All I want is information on Sidonis, but I'll be happy to take the lives of these scum," said Garrus.

Shepard was now going a bit concerned about Garrus, but he knew he couldn't stop him. He could understand why he hated Sidonis, but Shepard could see that he was letting the hatred take control.

* * *

They made their way across the facility even more mercs and destroying more than one mech. They soon reached some sort of monitoring facility and opened the blast doors to get a good view of the cargo area.

"You worked with Harkin at C-Sec?" Shepard asked.

Garrus nodded. "Yeah. He was a pain in the ass back then, too. But I'm in no mood for his games. If he doesn't cooperate, I'll beat him within an inch of his life."

Shepard looked at him with concern. "You seem to be getting tense, Garrus."

"Harkin may know why Sidonis wanted to disappear. If so, he knows why we're here and I don't want him tipping Sidonis off."

Shepard nodded. He then looked through the cargo area and Shepard could have sworn that he saw movement. Garrus saw it to, because he ducked and Shepard placed himself beside the window.

"Did you see that?" Garrus asked.

"I saw something."

"He's getting ready for us."

"What are you going to do to Harkin if he won't cooperate?" Shepard asked.

"He's a real criminal now. Working for the Blue Suns. I should just shoot him on site. But I need alive, so I won't do any permanent damage. Just enough to loosen his tongue."

"You don't need him hurt to get what you want."

"Don't worry. Harkin's a coward," Garrus assured. "He'll talk long before I can really hurt him."

"You still planning to kill Sidonis when we find him?" Shepard asked.

"That's the plan. It'll be quick and painless. Unlike everyone he betrayed, he'll be spared the agony of a slow death. It's more than he deserves, but as long as he's dead, I'll be satisfied."

Shepard looked at him with great concern. "Garrus, do you really think killing Sidonis will make things right?"

"I know you don't like it, Shepard, but I have to do this."

"Is there no other way?"

"Maybe. But this is personal. I'll pull the trigger. And I'll live with the consequences. All I ask is that you help me find him."

"Well, there's only one way to do that," said Shepard gesturing to the door.

Garrus nodded. "Right behind you."

As they made their way to the door Thane looked at Shepard. "He had become disconnected like Kolyat," he said.

"I've noticed," Shepard nodded.

* * *

They made their way into the complex and they soon discover what they had seen through the window. They have the fight their way through more mercs and mechs, but the biggest concern had to be the two heavy mechs that Harkin unleashed.

They managed to bring the shields down on one of them and Shepard uses hacking ability is to make to make it turn on the other. The two mechs destroyed one another in a massive explosion and secretly the four then made their way towards Harkin's control centre.

Shepard and the others went one side while Garrus went on the other. Harkin had been unable to see them sneaking to the side from his position and quickly backed away from the moment he saw them emerging through the doorway.

"You were close, but not close enough," said Harkin making a break for it to the other door.

Unfortunately for him became face-to-face with Garrus, who then slammed his rifle into his face. Garrus then pinned him to the wall with his mandibles clicking angrily.

"So, Fade… couldn't make yourself disappear, huh?"

"Come on, Garrus—we can work this out. Whaddaya need?" Harkin asked.

Garrus released him and turned his back to him. "I'm looking for someone."

"Well, I guess we both have something the other one wants," said Harkin rubbing his hands together.

Garrus marched up and we towards him and kneed him in the chest. Harkin then toppled over clutching his chest.

"We're not here to ask favours, Harkin," said Shepard.

Harkin got back onto his feet. "You don't say."

Garrus looked at him forcefully. "You helped a friend of mine disappear. I need to find."

"I might need a little more information than that."

"Is name was Sidonis. Turian, came from the—"

Harkin narrowed his eyes. "I know who he is, and I'm not telling you squat."

"Harkin, this doesn't have to be hard," said Shepard.

"Screw you. I don't get out client information. It's bad for business."

Garrus then snapped, he grabbed Harkin's neck and then kneed him in the chest again causing him to topple over. He then placed his foot onto his neck and nearly choking to death.

"You know what else is that the business?" said Garrus, who was clearly losing his patience. "A broken neck."

"All right! All right! Get off me!" Harkin choked.

Shepard placed a hand on Garrus' shoulder and he removed himself from Harkin.

Harkin took in several deep breaths and feet massaging his throat. "Terminus really changed you, huh, Garrus?"

"No, but Sidonis… opened my eyes. Now arrange a meeting."

Harkin got back onto his feet and looked at terminal and Garrus gestured towards it. "I'm going."

Harkin made his way to the terminal and accessed it. "Yeah, it's me. There's a chance your identity may be compromised."

They could hear the other half of the conversation and judging the way how Garrus was handling his pistol he didn't care. Harkin then made his way over towards.

"It's all good," he said. "He wants to meet you in front of Orbital Lounge. Middle of the day." He looked them quite awkwardly. "So, if our business is done, I'll be going…"

Garrus then grabbed Harkin and pulled him towards him so close that their faces nearly touched. "I don't think so. You're a criminal now, Harkin."

"So what… you're going to kill me?" Harkin narrowed his eyes. "That's not your style, Garrus."

Garrus looked at him from before releasing him. "Kill you? No. But I don't mind slowing you down a bit."

Garrus pulled out his pistol aiming for his leg, but Shepard lifted his pistol up just before the shot was fired.

"You don't need a shoot him," said Shepard. "He won't be able to hide from C-Sec now."

Garrus looked at Harkin. "I guess it's your lucky day."

"Yeah. I hope we can do this again real soon," said Harkin sarcastically.

Garrus then head-butted him in the face and he toppled over in pain. Shepard raised an eyebrow at Garrus as they left.

"I didn't shoot him."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Come on. Let's move."

"Sidonis better be there, or I'll be coming back to finish the job," said Garrus to Harkin.

* * *

Moments later they were in the skycar heading towards Orbital Lounge. Shepard landed the skycar and looked at Garrus.

"Harkin's a bloody menace," said Garrus. "We should have just left him go. He deserved to be punished."

Shepard was going more concerned about Garrus. "I'm getting a little worried about you, Garrus. You were pretty hard on Harkin."

"You don't think he deserved it?"

"It's just not like you."

Garrus looked away. "What you want from me, Shepard? What would you do if someone betrayed you?"

"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't let it change me."

Garrus looked at him. "I would have said the same for it happened to me."

"It's not too late. You don't have to go through with this."

"Who's going to bring Sidonis to justice if I don't?" Garrus asked. "Nobody else knows what he's done. Nobody else cares. I don't see any other options."

"Let me talk to him."

"Talk you want, but I won't change my mind. I don't care what his reasons were, he screwed us… he deserves to die."

Shepard understood what Garrus was going through, he had lost men before the most painful those have to be Kaidan. "I understand what you're going through—but do you really want to kill?"

Garrus sighed. "I appreciate your concern… but I'm not you."

"This isn't you, either."

"Really? I've always hated injustice. The thought that Sidonis could get away with this… Why should he go on living while ten good men lie in unmarked graves?" Garrus shook his head. "I'm sorry, Shepard. Words aren't going to solve this problem. I need to set up." He looked around for a vantage point. "I can get a clear shot from over there."

Shepard looked when he was pointing and saw protective bit of cover in the carpark. "What you need me to do?"

"She's talking and don't get in my way," said Garrus. "I'll let you know when he's in my sights. Give me a signal so I know you're ready, and I'll take the shot. You better go, he'll be here soon."

Garrus exited the skycar Shepard drove away.

Tali looked at him. "Are you seriously going a little do this?" she asked. "This is starting to get too personal for him."

Shepard didn't answer as he landed the skycar carpark below and he was very confident that Garrus had taken up his position.

* * *

"Shepard? Can you hear me?" Garrus asked over the radio.

"Loud and clear."

Garrus was in the carpark above them with his sniper rifle at the ready. He looked through the scope and saw Sidonis sitting on a bench.

"All right. There he is… wave him over and keep him talking."

Shepard saw Sidonis and gestured to him to come towards him. Sidonis got up and made his way over to Shepard.

"Let's get this over with," he said.

"You're in my shot," said Garrus over the radio. "Move to the side."

Shepard looked at Sidonis. "Listen, Sidonis. I'm here to help you."

Sidonis looked panic stricken. "Don't ever say that name aloud."

"I'm a friend of Garrus'. He wants you dead, but I'm hoping not necessary."

Sidonis frowned at him. "Garrus? Is this some kind of joke…?"

"Damn it, Shepard," said Garrus over the radio. "If he moves, I'm taking the shot!"

Sidonis' eyes widened. "You're not kidding, are you?" He then looked panic stricken. "Screw this. I'm not sticking around here to find out. Tell Garrus I had my own problems…"

Sidonis was about to leave, but Shepard quickly grabbed his arm. "Don't move."

"Get off me!" Sidonis yelled shoving Shepard's arm away.

"And the only thing standing between you and a hole in the head," said Shepard.

Sidonis stared at him. "Fuck. Look… I didn't want to do it… I didn't have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice," said Garrus.

"They got to be," said Sidonis. "Said they'd kill me if I didn't help. What was I supposed to do?"

"Let me take the shot, Shepard. He is a damn coward," said Garrus.

Shepard looked at Sidonis. "That's it? You were trying to save yourself?"

Sidonis move towards the railings and Shepard followed him so that Garrus wouldn't be able to shoot him.

"I know what I did," said Sidonis. "I know they died because of me, and I have to live with that. I wake up every night… sick… and sweating. Each of their faces staring at me… accusing me. I'm already a dead man. I don't sleep. Food has no taste. Some days I just want it to be over."

"Just give me the chance," said Garrus.

"You've got to let this go, Garrus," said Shepard. "He's already paying for his crime."

"He hasn't paid enough. He still has his life…"

"Look at him, Garrus," said Shepard gesturing to Sidonis. "He's not alive… there's nothing left to kill."

"My men… they deserved better."

Sidonis looked at Shepard. "Tell Garrus…" He stopped and looked over the railings. "I guess there's nothing I can say to make it right…"

There was silence for a few seconds before Shepard heard Garrus' voice. "Just… go. Tell him to go…"

Shepard was relieved and looked at Sidonis. "He's giving you a second chance, Sidonis. Don't waste it."

Sidonis stood up straight. "I'll try Garrus. I'll make it up to you, somehow." He then looked at Shepard with gratitude. "Thank you. For talking to him."

Shepard nodded and the two of them when their separate ways.

* * *

Shepard met up with Garrus the carpark above the Lounge.

"I know you want to talk about this… but I don't. Not yet," said Garrus as Shepard opened the skycar door.

"I know it in go the way you planned, but I think it's for the best," said Shepard.

"I'm not so sure…"

"Give it time."

"Yeah. Maybe that'll be enough." Garrus began pacing up and down. "I want to know I did the right thing. Not just for me—for my men. They deserved to be avenged. But when Sidonis was in my sights… I just couldn't do it."

"Lines between good and evil blur when we're looking at people we know."

Garrus nodded. "Yeah. There was still good in him… I could see it." He then shook his head. "It's so much easier to see the world in black and white. Grey… I don't know what to do with grey."

"You've got to go with your instincts."

"My instincts are what got me into this mess," Garrus reminded.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," said Shepard placing a hand on his shoulder.

Garrus nodded. "Thanks, Shepard. For everything. Let's get going. I need some distance from this place."

Shepard nodded. "I'm with you."

* * *

Rick was rushing over towards Anderson, who was sitting at his desk looking through reports.

"What is it Commander?" Anderson asked.

"I got a secure message from Shepard and he sent me some interesting data," said Rick.

Anderson looked up. "I'm listening."

"Apparently he led a team and boarded a Collector ship and discovered several disturbing things. First off the ship was the same one that blew up the original Normandy and the one that attacked Horizon."

"It can't be a coincidence," said Anderson. "It seems that Shepard has deemed their interest."

"That's not all when he was on board he found billions of stasis pods which could only implicate one thing," said Rick.

Anderson eye's widened. "They're planning to attack Earth."

"And that's not even the most disturbing part, because according to the data that he managed to collect. The Collectors are in fact Protheans."

Anderson stared at Rick. "You sure?"

"If the data is correct, but I have a scientist look at it and compare it to what they discovered on the autopsy of the Collector bodies we gathered."

Anderson nodded. "This will certainly get the Councils interest."

"Do you think will be enough to prove about the Reapers?"

Anderson shrugged. "It does improve the Reapers exist, but it certainly proves that the Collectors are a menace and are key to the Prothean extinction."

"Let's just hope they accept our word," said Rick.


	20. Sins of the Father

They started making their way towards C-Sec in order to talk with Captain Bailey. Shepard was hoping that he would help them to locate Thane's son.

"According to C-Sec reports, Harkin was taken into custody, and charges are pending," said EDI.

"That's the least that bastard deserves," Garrus grumbled.

"Hopefully there will to help us with locating Kolyat," said Shepard.

* * *

Before they approached the precinct Shepard helped a couple of Asari to get past customs. Apparently the new security protocols considered them a geth threat. Shepard managed to convince the traffic controller to let them board the next shuttle.

They then headed to the precinct and found Bailey at his desk and he looked up. "Anything I can do for you Shepard?"

"My associate is trying to find his son," said Shepard gesturing to Thane. "We think the local criminal may have hired him."

"Should be easy. We don't see many drell here," said Bailey. He then accessed his terminal and began looking through the reports from his men. "There we go. One of my men reported a drell recently. And he was talking to Mouse. Interesting."

"Mouse?" Thane blinked.

Bailey looked up at him. "A petty criminal. Probably not the guy who hired your boy, but a messenger. He is a former duct rat, runs errands for anyone who'll pays."

"What sort of trouble has Mouse been getting himself into?" Shepard asked.

"Odd jobs for shifty people. Duct rat take whatever's available to get by. Data running. Fencing stolen goods. Selling illegal VI personalities." He then looked at Shepard with amusement. "Actually, he was selling one of you."

Shepard blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah. When you erased a file, it would say, 'I delete data like you on the way to real errors.'"

Garrus smirked. "That's pretty extreme, Commander."

Shepard narrowed his eyes at him. "Laugh it up, Garrus."

Bailey shrugged. "Buggy, though. It crashed every half hour. The error message was about how the galaxy was at stake, and you should fix the problem yourself."

"I've heard enough," said Shepard.

"Mouse is usually upstairs, outside the Dark Star. He works out a public comm terminal. You should pick up a copy of the 'Shepard VI' when you talk to him." Bailey then looked at Thane. "It sounds like your boy's running with the wrong crowd."

Thane nodded. "Yes. I agree."

"If mouse can't get you in touch with your son directly, he'll know who can," said Bailey. "I'll help you if you need it."

"You don't know us, Captain. Why are you going so far to help?" Shepard asked.

"I've worked Zakera for two years," said Bailey. "Every day, kids turned to crime because they've got no other choice. Because their parents don't care." He looked up at Thane. "You're trying to save yours."

Thane closes eyes. "…He faces a dark path."

"We better hurry, then," said Shepard.

They walked out of the station and once they were out of earshot Thane looked at Shepard. "You didn't tell him that Kolyat plans to assassinate someone."

"He's a cop. He tried to stop Kolyat, and one of them could end up dead," said Shepard. "I don't want that."

Jacob stood there with his arms crossed looking at Thane. "I can't believe an assassin is looking after his son."

"You sound surprised?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know what's more surprising that he had a son or that he cares about?"

Shepard had a feeling there was more to it, but decided not to press the subject. "Either way we need to find Kolyat before make the biggest mistake of his life."

* * *

They made their way up the stairs and saw Mouse on the far end near a terminal. It appeared that he was actually speaking to someone as they approached and he had his backs to them.

"Yeah. Sure. I can get you two cases by the end of the day," he said pressing a few buttons on his datapad.

"You Mouse?" Shepard asked.

"What do you—" Mouse turned in his eyes widened. "Oh, shit! Krios? I thought you retired!" His eyes widened even further when he saw Shepard. "Commander Shepard? I thought you died! What you want with me?"

Thane patted the young man on the shoulder. "He still, Mouse. You can change your pants in a moment."

Shepard looked between them and then turned to Mouse. "How do you know Thane?"

Mouse blink. "Krios? He didn't—?" He looked at Thane then back to Shepard and folded his arms. "Uh. If he didn't say nothing, I ain't either."

Thane looked at Shepard. "When we heard the name, I didn't think could be the same Mouse. He was a contact on the Citadel when I was active. He and some other children would gather information on my targets."

Shepard stared at him. "You put children in danger to spy for you?"

"Children. The poor. My people's word for their kind his ' _drala'fa_ ': the ignored. They're everywhere, see everything. Yet they are never seen."

Thane then promptly grabbed the helm of Mouse's shirt and pulled him towards him. "You gave another drell instructions for an assassination. Who's the target?"

"I… I don't know. I didn't ask. 'Cause the people I work for? They can make me disappear." Thane released him and Mouse looked at him sympathetically. "I'd like to help you, Krios. You always done right by us. But I ain't gonna die for you."

"Look. You know Thane," said Shepard placing a hand on his shoulder. "He wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Do it for him."

"I want to. He was always nice to us." He then looked at Thane. "But these people ain't nice, Krios."

"Nobody's going to know you talk to us," Shepard assured.

"Mouse. I swear that you won't be named," Thane promised.

"All right… all right," said Mouse. "He came with that holo you took of me. Said he wanted a job. I ran thought your old contacts to see who might give him a shot. The guy who offered was Elias Kelham."

"Tell me about Kelham," said Shepard folding his arms.

"Human. Moved to the Citadel about ten years ago." He looked at Thane. "He was little people when you were still here, Krios. He got big after the geth attack. Lots of the big guys from before got cacked. All in them big fancy apartment up on the Presidium. Now he runs the rackets on the lower end of the Ward. Shin Akiba. He's seriously bad news."

"One other thing," said Shepard. "That Shepard VI you're selling?"

Mouse looked at him fearfully. "Oh, shit. You hear—Look, you were dead! It was totally legal to make a VI of you."

"Give me a copy, we'll call it even," said Shepard.

"What?" Mouse stared. Mouse then handed him a data drive. "I mean, sure. Yeah, absolutely! Sorry about the whole… Just so you know, there's three volus who are patching it all the time."

Shepard placed the data drive in his pocket. "You did good, Mouse."

"Yeah." Mouse rubbed his arm nervously. "Hope I live long enough to pat myself on the back."

"Kelham will never know," Thane assured.

"I hope not. I'm out of here, Krios. Next time you're in town—" Mouse paused. "Just don't bring the family."

Mouse then walked off and Shepard looked at Thane. "That couldn't have been easy," he said.

"Mouse knew more about my life and Kolyat ever did," said Thane. His eyes then went out of focus. "He smiled up at me, broken teeth and scabby knees. Bare feet black. A dead-end future looking up at me. Worshipping the petty gifts I offer." Thane's eyes then came back into focus. "I was the only thing he had, back then. But I left him, as I left Kolyat."

"Don't blame yourself."

"If I don't, who will?" Thane asked. "We must carry the weight of our decisions, Shepard. You of all people, know this."

Shepard couldn't disagree with him, the decision of leaving Kaidan behind still haunted him. He'd always used his good judgement to prevent such decisions, but it was those rare decisions that always throw him for a loop.

They then headed down the stairs back towards C-Sec.

Jacob's eyes were still on Thane and Shepard backed off to join him. "You still don't trust him?"

"I just don't like assassins," said Jacob. "There just mercs with better training."

"And this one hasn't back stabbed us in the back, literally," Shepard pointed out. "Perhaps if you just give them a chance."

Jacob didn't say anything as they walked down the steps.

* * *

"Can we talk about my associate's son?" Shepard asked as they walked up to Bailey.

"You talk to Mouse?" he asked. "Did you get the name of the guy he's working with?"

"Elias Kelham."

"Kelham. Shit." Bailey looked annoyed and troubled at the same time. "Ah, look. This is awkward. Kelham and I have a—an arrangement. He doesn't caused too much trouble, and 'buys tickets to the C-Sec Charity Ball' from me. In return, I ignore him."

Shepard couldn't believe he was hearing this. "He pays you off," said Shepard folding his arms. "You were eager to help us before. What about now? Is it too 'inconvenient'?"

"I said I'd help," Bailey assured. "It's just—There'll be repercussions if I don't handle it right. He and I… give each other space. It keeps the peace. I'll get some of my people to bring him in and set him up in a private room. You can interrogate yourself. I'll stay out of sight. If I'm lucky, Kelham will believe that I had nothing to do with it."

Shepard nodded. "Bring him in. We might not have much time."

"I'll make it happen," said Bailey getting to his feet. "Wait here."

* * *

Shepard and Thane waited at the station and then saw two C-Sec is dragging a man, who Shepard assumed to be Kelham. They watched as they dragged him into the interrogation room.

Shepard then turned to another officer. "We've got Kelham. Tell Bailey we're ready."

The officer saluted and walked off.

A few seconds later Bailey showed up. "He'll expect me to get him out of this."

"Not today, I think," said Thane.

Suddenly they saw a man approaching the station and two officers blocked his path.

"Captain," said a turian officer over the radio. "His lawyer is here. Bet Elias has his VI set to page him if C-Sec get within ten metres."

Bailey looked at Shepard and Thane. "I'll stall him. Get in there. And work fast."

Bailey then headed towards the lawyer and Thane turned to Shepard. "We should question them together. Keep the pressure on. Thoughts on how we approach it?"

The old good cop bad cop routine was the most ideal method in interrogations. "You talk to him. Appeals to his self-interest. I'll put the screws on him if he needs it."

Thane nodded. "Very well. I'll pretend to be on his side. But if we waste too much time negotiating, Bailey won't be able to stall Kelham's advocate."

* * *

Kelham was strapped to an interrogation table and he was doing his best to break free of the restraints.

"Get me out of these restraints, Bailey," he said. "Pretty funny, bringing me down here like this—" He then saw Shepard and Thane enter the room. "Who the hell are you two?"

Shepard and Thane placed their hands behind their backs and walked around Kelham. Shepard placed himself behind Kelham and Thane stood in front of him.

"My name's Shepard. I'm a Spectre," Shepard began.

"Prove it," said Kelham.

Shepard pulled out his pistol and aimed at his head. "I don't have to prove anything. Spectres are above the law. We clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good," said Shepard pulling the pistol away. "Now, fortunately. I'm not after you. You contract an assassin. Who's the target?"

"Joram Talid. A turian. He's running for office. He lives in the 800 blocks."

"Thanks. You won't see us again," said Shepard as they walked off. "No offence, but your problem below my pay grade."

Thane looked at Shepard impressed. "That may go down in history as the shortest interrogation ever."

Shepard shrugged as they walked out of the interrogation room and saw Kelham's lawyer walking past them into the room. They then made their way over to Bailey, who was waiting for them.

"What's the story?" he asked. "Why did Kelham hire the boy?"

"Assassination," said Shepard, knowing he couldn't hide the truth any more. "A turian named Joram Talid. You know him?"

Bailey stared at them. "Joram? Yeah. You might have seen his posters around. He's promising to end organised crime on the wards. Thing is, his messages is all mixed up in race politics. He's anti-human."

Shepard was surprised by that, he knew that there were people that still believe that humans are aggressive upstarts, but these days are usually kept it to themselves. Especially after the Battle the Citadel.

"Are things so bad that people can openly campaign as anti-human?"

"Before the Battle the Citadel, the alien population thought we were violent upstarts. Look what's happened then," said Bailey watching out several human C-Sec officers walked past. "A human fleet guarding the station for months. C-Sec filled with humans. Anderson does what he can, but some people have lived on the station since before humans had starships. They see it as a coup."

Shepard could only imagine how bad it would look if word got out that the human hired an assassin to take out a turian politic. "We need to stop this assassination. Can you get to the 800 blocks?"

Bailey nodded and looked at one of the C-Sec officers' close by. "Sergeant! Get a patrol car. These two need to get to the 800 blocks."

"Yes, sir!" the sergeant saluted.

* * *

A few hours later they reached the 800 blocks and found Talid talking to a few aliens and selling that there was a krogan bodyguard.

"There he is?" said Shepard. "How do you want to play this?"

"Follow Talid on the maintenance catwalks," said Thane pointing to the catwalks above them. "Tell me what he's doing. The krogan bodyguard will make him easier to follow."

"Where will you be?"

"The darkest corner with the best view."

Shepard nodded and made his way over to catwalks.

Thane just stood there and began to pray. "Amonkira. Lord of Hunters. Grand that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet sweat. And should the worst come to pass, grant me forgiveness."

A human then walked in front of him and the moment she passed Thane had vanished.

* * *

Shepard listened to Talid as he spoke to several voters and he will clearly anti-human. Shepard wondered if he would feel the same and the Reapers had invaded. Though Shepard had to admit that he did had his fair points.

Shepard then saw Talid standing outside of the human store. His bodyguard had entered and looked as if he was roughing the clerk. Then the moment be exited the store they ran.

Shepard had the run after them and had a tense moment with the stock boy. He managed to follow them to a bar and a shakedown with the bartender. They then join up with more krogan from the same gang as his bodyguard.

Talid was starting to get nervous either he saw Shepard or Kolyat. Sheppard then encountered a stock boy, but he managed to talk his way out of trespassing and carried on to follow Talid.

Talid was walking down the street and he passed a drell, who he guessed was Kolyat. He watched as he began to follow Talid and reached for his pistol.

"Kolyat!" Shepard yelled.

Talid and the krogan bodyguard turned and saw Kolyat looking up at Shepard. Kolyat quickly pointed his pistol at Talid, but the bodyguard placed himself between him and Talid.

"Call C-Se—argh!" Kolyat then shot the bodyguard.

Talid round the block of flats and Kolyat followed him.

"Thane?" Shepard yelled.

"I saw," said Thane, who appeared out of nowhere.

"He's heading to Talid's apartment!" said Shepard as he jumped off the catwalk.

* * *

They entered into Talid's apartment and found the turian on his knees with his hands behind his head as Kolyat aimed his pistol at the back of his head. Kolyat then saw Shepard and Thane entering into the apartment.

Shepard pulled his pistol and aimed it at him, but his eyes were on his father.

"Kolyat," said Thane.

"This—This is a joke," said Kolyat with anger in his eyes. "Now? Now you show up?"

"Help me, drell. I'll do whatever you want," said Talid.

Bailey and his men then appeared for them aiming pistols at Koylat. "C-Sec. Put the gun down, son."

"Get out of my way," said Kolyat. "I'm walking out. He's coming with me."

Thane took a step forward. "They'll have snipers outside."

"I don't need your help!" Kolyat glared.

Shepard then fired a shot at the lamp next to Kolyat. This caught him by surprise lowering his guard.

"What the hell!"

Shepard then punched him in the face and knocked the pistol out of his hand.

"Talid, get the hell out of here."

Talid got onto his feet and began to walk out of his apartment. "Yeah. Yeah! I will."

Bailey looked at his men. "Take the boy into custody."

"You son of a bitch!" Koylat yelled furiously.

"Your father doesn't have much time left, Koylat," said Shepard. "He's trying to make up for his mistakes."

Koylat looked at his father with disdain. "What, so you can come and get my forgiveness? So you can die in peace or something?"

Thane walked up to Koylat. "I came to grant you peace." He stood there in silence for a few seconds before speaking again. "You're angry because I wasn't there when your mother died."

Koylat glared at him. "You weren't even there when she was alive. Why should you be there when she died?"

"Your mother—" Thane sighed. "They killed her to get to me. It was my fault."

Koylat looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"After her body was given to the deep, I went to find them. The trigger man. The ringleaders. I hurt them. Eventually killed them. When I went back to see you, you were—older." He closed his eyes. "I should have stayed with you."

Koylat narrowed his eyes. "I guess it's too bad for me you waited so long, huh?"

Thane looked at his son. "Koylat. I've taken many bad things out of the world. You're the only good thing I ever added in."

Tears poured down across Koylat's face.

Bailey then walked up to him. "This isn't a conversation you should have in front of strangers." He then looked at his men. "Boys, take Koylat and his father back to the precinct. Give them a room and as much time as they need."

Shepard looked at Bailey. "I'm surprised you're letting him do that."

Bailey looked at Thane and Koylat. "You think he's the only one who ever screwed up raising a son?" He then turned to Shepard. "I have to get back to the precinct. Come on. I'll give you a lift."

* * *

An hour later, Shepard was waiting at the precinct with Bailey. Thane and Koylat were talking in another room for a while now.

"They've been in there for a while," Shepard noted.

"Kid's been through a lot," said Bailey looking over his terminal. "I ran some searches in the C-Sec archive. About ten years back, a bunch of real bad people were killed. Like someone was cleaning house. The prime suspect was a drell. We never caught him."

Shepard had a feeling that Bailey knew that it was Thane that did the killing, the last thing he needed was his crewmate to be locked up in prison. "Ten years in a long time," said Shepard. "Whoever was responsible for that probably doesn't exist anymore."

Bailey nodded." Yeah. I guess you're right about that."

The door opened and Thane walked out.

"How'd it go?" Shepard asked.

Thane shrugged. "Our problems—they aren't something I can fix with a few words. We'll keep talking, see what happens."

Bailey looked up at Thane. "Your boy shot some people. No I feel sympathy for, but there it is."

It was a good thing that Koylat never actually killed anyone or else he would have been in more trouble. However, the charges against him were quite grim and Shepard really had to help Thane out.

"I watched those guys shaking down businesses and threatening humans," said Shepard.

"But he can't just get away with it."

"The kid wants to make a difference. Given community service."

Bailey stared at him. "Community service for attempted murder? What jury would agree to that?"

"None that I've seen," Shepard admitted. "This will have to stay out of the judiciary. Strictly within C-Sec."

Bailey got to his feet. "Interesting. I'll think about it."

"Thank you, Captain," said Thane shaking hands with Bailey.

* * *

Rick was taking some shore leave and sitting down at a nice cafe on the Presidium. He just took a drink of Diet Coke when he saw Ashley approaching him.

"Permission to set, sir?" she asked.

Rick roared his eyes. "Ash, were on shore leave no need to go in with formalities."

Ashley sat down opposite him and she ordered a drink and some food.

"Have you heard about the mess that went down in the wards?" she asked.

"Yeah, I saw on the news," said Rick shaking his head. "A turian politician nearly getting assassinated by a drell. Fortunately for him, C-Sec arrived in time and stop the assassination attempt."

"Shepard is partnered up with a drell, isn't he?" Ashley asked. "And the turian was speaking against humans."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "You think that Cerberus was the one that hired the attack?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past them."

"Ash, Shepard was the one that stopped the assassination attempt apparently the assassin was his crewmate's son," said Rick. "Or at least that's what my contacts in C-Sec say at least."

Ashley looked taken aback. "Oh."

"Ash, Shepard would never do such a thing and if he did the man just proves that he's not really Shepard. Besides I think Cerberus is sincere about stopping the Collectors, the Alliance has run into them for quite some time now."

Ashley sighed. "I suppose. It just doesn't seem right that they're the ones that are saving innocent lives."

Rick was quite amused by the notion. "Yes were been saved by a terrorist organisation, you'd a thunk."


	21. Rite of Passage

After boarding the Normandy, Shepard went to check on Thane. The man had spent some time on his own and Shepard suspected that he was sending messages to Koylat.

"Have a few minutes to talk?" he asked.

"Very well." Shepard then sat down opposite him. "I am—I had been recording a message for Koylat."

"How are things going with him?" Shepard asked.

"It is difficult," Thane admitted. "All things worth keeping are. I never explained—" He looked up at Shepard. "I suppose the story of my wife's death took you by surprise."

"I figured you'd explain to me when you are ready."

Thane nodded with gratitude. "I appreciate your patience." Thane stood up and faced Shepard. "I kept my work clear of our home life. I assume that would be enough to protect Irikah. That memory I mentioned before—" His eyes when out of focus. "Later dot trembled on the target's skull. The smell of spice of the spring wind. Sunset eyes defiant in the scope."

His eyes then refocused and then paced for a bit. "That was Irikah. That was how I met her. She saw my targeting laser as she walked by, and threw herself in the way."

Thane then sat back down in his seat. "So how did she come from blocking your shot to having your child?" Shepard stared.

"I had to meet her. The memory possessed and endowed me. I fell on my knees before her. Begged her pardon. She introduced me to the world beyond my work. Eventually, she forgave me. Later she loved me."

Shepard had to admit that it was a romantic in a certain way. "I guess she impressed you."

"She woke me up." His eyes then went out of focus again. "Her body trembled. Not fear. Indignation. Her mouth moves. 'How dare you'?" His eyes then regain focus and he looked at Shepard. "You and I train to sacrifice ourselves to save others. How often does a civilian step in the way of the bullet to protect someone they've never met?"

Not very often, in fact some civilians actually resented military personnel. The some reason they always believe that they interrupted their work, especially scientists.

Thane looked as if he was in a dreamlike state. "I thought she was the goddess Arashu. She met my eyes through the scope, and my purpose faltered."

"When you talk to Koylat, you said she died," Shepard noted.

Thane nodded. "I let myself become complacent. I thought Irikah and Koylat were safe. I stayed away too long, and my enemies came for her."

Shepard didn't need him to explain any more. "You told Koylat that you hunted her killers down."

"Irikah woke me up. When she passed, I return to my battle sleep. My body hunted down her killers. Murdered them. I was taught to grant death quickly, cleanly. To minimise suffering. Them—I let them linger."

Shepard could hardly blame the man, he had lost the woman he loved from a bunch of cowards who are too afraid to face him themselves. "You were operating on instinct. By your own rules, you can't blame yourself."

"But I made the choice to hunt them. They're the only lives I've ever taken on my own choice. The only death on my conscience."

Shepard can believe that Thane actually felt sorry for killing the men that murdered his wife. He had to admit that you never met a man like Thane before in his entire career.

Thane sat up. "I haven't spoken about my wife in—I don't think I ever have. I don't have anyone left to tell it to."

"Thane, the worst thing is to face death with regrets," said Shepard. "You're part of my crew—and I consider you a friend. If there's anything I can help you with, just ask."

Thane looked slightly uncomfortable. "I've never been part of a team. Assassination tends to be solitary. I'm learning the virtues of facing death with others at your side. It's a work in progress."

* * *

Shepard then went to check on Garrus to see how he was doing after the entire situation with Sidonis.

"Have you got a minute?" Shepard asked.

Garrus nodded. "Sure. Just killing time, anyway. I wanted to thank you again for your help with Sidonis. Whatever happens with the Collectors or the Reapers or whatever else comes after us, I know you'll get the job done."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You actually think we'll find something worse than the Collectors or Reapers?"

Garrus shrugged. "I like to expect the worst. There's a small chance I'll be pleasantly surprised."

Shepard smiled. "I can do this without you, Garrus."

Garrus waved his hand dismissively. "Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course." Shepard sat down on a bunch of crates. "It's strange going to a suicide mission on human ships. Your people don't prepare for high-risk operations the way turians do."

"I'd thought you'd be used to high-risk operations on human ships," Shepard frowned. "I mean, think about tracking Saren to Ilos."

"Sure, but that was quick. We raced out, landed, blew up some geth, and save the galaxy. This time we got Miranda and Cerberus and that AI all telling us what we're up against." Garrus shook his head. "I think I prefer blind optimism."

"Honestly, Garrus, what you think chances are?" Shepard asked.

"Honestly?" Garrus shrugged. "The Collectors killed you once, and all it did is piss you off. I can't imagine they'll stop you this time." Garrus began to pace up and down. "But an unmapped area, advanced technology, and the Collectors? We're going to lose people. No way around that." He shook his head. "Not a happy analysis, I know. Don't worry. I won't spread it around. And I'm with you, regardless."

"How do turian crews get ready for high-risk missions?" Shepard asked.

"With violence, usually." Garrus placed his hands behind his back. "Turian ships have more operational discipline than your Alliance, but fewer personal restrictions. Our command is run us tight, and they know we need to blow off steam. Turian ships have training rooms for experience, combat sims, even full-contact sparring. Whatever lets people work off stress."

Shepard stared at him. "You mean turian ships have crewmen fighting each other before a mission?"

"It's supervised, of course," Garrus assured. "Nobody is going to risk an injury that interferes with the mission. And it's a good way to settle grudges amicably." Garrus then looked up at the ceiling as if he was reliving a memory. "I remember right before one mission. We were about to hit a batarian pirate squad. Very risky. This recon Scout and I had been at each other's throats. Nerves, mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring."

Shepard smiled. "I assume you let her down gently?"

A smile appeared on Garrus mandibles. "Actually, she and I were the top-ranked hand-to-hand specialists on the ship. I had reach, that she had flexibility." He then began to walk up and down. "It was brutal. After nine rounds, the judges called it a draw. There were lots of unhappy betters in the training room. We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, but she had flexibility." He then looked at Shepard with a sly smile. "More than one way to work off stress, I guess."

Shepard shook his head. "Thanks for the talk, Garrus. I'll see you later."

* * *

Shepard then went down to the engine room and talk to Tali. Apparently she gained infection due to the fact that her armour was damaged when she took a hit on the Alarei. She then went on to explain how her people sickness were in fact allergies and that the settlement terms were similar to how one would get sick.

Apparently due to the fact that their homeworlds lacked insects to pollinate their plant life it was up to much larger animals to carry the seeds with them. This meant that most world on the planet were beneficial so their immune systems evolved to be weak.

She then went on to explain how they colonise world before they were kicked off their homeward by the geth. Apparently they would just colonise and then adjust to the planet's atmosphere suffering a few weeks of sickness. However due to the stellar environment on their ships their immune systems collapse and if they could ever remove their suits arrived on the homeworld or on another colony world they would need advanced bio-engineering to recover.

* * *

Garrus had installed new thanix cannons onto the forward batteries so that when he tangled with the Collectors they would have more firepower. In fact they were actually based upon Sovereign's main guns and those wiped out an entire fleet.

"Garrus put some crazy tech into the main guns," said Kenneth as he looked board. "It's almost double their power draw."

"But they seem pretty wicked," said Gabby.

"Indeed." Kenneth nodded. "Don't worry. A few tweaks to the front capacitors, and the balance is back in line."

* * *

Shepard then went to the cargo hold, because Kelly told him that Grunt was agitated for some reason the last thing he wanted was an agitated korgan on board.

"Chambers said you're tearing up the place," said Shepard as he entered. "Something wrong?"

"Something… is wrong, Shepard," said Grunt marched up towards the window that overlooked the cargo bay. "I feel wrong. Tense. I just want to kill something. With my hands. More so than usual, like it's not my choice. Like I just want to, I don't know…"

He then head-butted the window cracking it. He then marched up to Shepard looking frustrated. "See? Why do that? What's wrong?"

"Okeer didn't imprint anything to help you figure this out?" Shepard asked.

"I see pictures of old battles, voices old warlords." He then rubbed his plate. "But this is… a blood haze in my head." He began to march up and down in frustration. "I want control. When we're moving, fighting. I focus. But here, my blood screams, my plate itch, and even you are just noise! I'm tank-born. What is this?"

"EDI, anything in your files about krogan diseases that could cause this?" Shepard asked.

"Cerberus has a number of autopsies on file, but nothing on a living krogan of this age and situation," said EDI. "Krogan are reluctant to share medical records."

"My people were defeated by doctors and labs," Grunt reminded. "They will never let stuff like that leave the homeworld, Tuchanka."

"Joker can get us to the krogan homeworld," Shepard assured. "I need everyone at their best."

"Thank you, Shepard," said Grunt in gratitude. "I don't like this. Fury is my choice, not a sickness."

* * *

Shepard then got a message from Kelly informing him that Mordin was troubled.

Mordin looked relieved to see him as he entered the lab and slightly panic stricken. "Shepard. Important news. Know you're busy. Have to do with the Collectors. Planning attack. Two important to wait. Just receive data, still processing, analysing likely scenarios. Not sure how to begin. Too much intel. You remember our talk? My work on genophage modifications?"

Shepard nodded. "You stopped the krogan adapting to the genophage."

"Part of a team. Scientists, all different types. Blood Pack mercenaries captured former team member. Maelon. Last seen on Tuchanka. Might torture him. Make an example." He shook his head at the idea. "Recovering Maelon would be a personal favour."

"Do you think they found out your team updated the genophage?" Shepard asked."

"Unclear. No way to determine until we get to Tuchanka."

"We'll go to Tuchanka and see if we can find your team member."

Mordin looked relieved. "Appreciate it. My assistant. My student. Want to see safe. Maelon last seen outside Urdnot territory. Scouts might have seen Blood Pack. Talk to them or clan chief."

* * *

They soon arrived at Tuchanka flew down to the planet on the shuttle. Shepard remember how Wrex described his homeworld and it was clear that he didn't leave out any details. The entire place was in ruins and there were clearly battle scars from their nuclear war.

The storm force quite powerful fortunately the shuttle was able to handle them and headed towards clan Urdnot territory. If he was lucky Wrex would be there and would be able to help them out.

They soon landed into an underground bunker, no doubt use during the krogan's wars, and landed on a platform. On their arrival they were met by several heavily armed krogan holding shotguns.

Their captain approached Shepard. "The clan leader wants to speak with you." He then looked at Grunt. "Keep your rutting pet on a short leash. Get in the Rite soon, or put him down."

"Do you know what's wrong with him? What he needs?" Shepard asked.

"There's nothing wrong with him," said the captain waving his hand dismissively. "Just speak with the clan leader."

* * *

They soon descended deeper into the bunker and then they were contacted by EDI.

"Urdnot clan reports use weak encryptions. I see references to captured salarian in the logs of the chief scout."

"Good. Talk to scout, then," said Mordin. "Or chief. Either one acceptable."

"Also, I have been able to access local medical records. I suggest asking the local clan leader for assistance with Grunt's problem," EDI continued.

"Speaking of which, what you think that krogan meant by the Rite?" Miranda asked. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Considering that krogan are very open to the galactic community is no surprise that they keep their culture to themselves," said Shepard.

"Do you think the clan chief will help us?" Jacob asked.

"If not we find Wrex, I'm sure he'll help us," said Shepard.

* * *

They soon exited the corridor and were stopped by several guards.

"Halt! You must wait until the clan leader summoned you," he said. "He is… in talk."

Shepard looked over the krogan's shoulder and stared, because sitting on rubble that resembled a throne was none other than Wrex. He appeared to be talking to another krogan, no doubt a clan chief, who didn't look too happy.

"You know what tradition demands—Clan Urdnot must respond. Your reforms will not go unopposed. You risk appearing weak at a critical time," said the krogan.

Wrex then noticed Shepard and stood up. "Shepard."

Shepard looked at the krogan guards. "Good enough?" He then made his way past the guards. "Excuse me."

Wrex then walked up to him and the two of them shook hands.

"Shepard! My friend!" Wrex smiled. "You look well for dead, Shepard. Should have known the void couldn't hold you."

"Looks like helping me destroy Saren's and the geth worked out for you," Shepard noted. "Glad we didn't have to kill each other on Virmire."

"Ha!" Wrex laughed. "You made the rise of Urdnot possible. Virmire was a turning point for the krogan…" He then looked at the krogan he was arguing with, "though not everyone was happy about it. Destroying Saren's cure reader from his manipulations. I used that to spur the clans to unify under Urdnot."

"You abandon the many traditions to get your way," said the krogan clan chief. "Dangerous."

Wrex then head-butted him hard and narrowed his eyes. "Speak when spoken to, Uvenk. I'll drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not."

Wrex then sat back on his throne and Shepard and his companions walked up. Shepard noticed that Uvenk was glaring at the both of them.

"Now, Shepard," said Wrex. "What brings you here? How's the Normandy?"

"Destroyed in the Collectors surprise attack. I ended up spaced."

"Well, you look good," Wrex smiled. "Ah, the benefit of redundant nervous system!"

"Yeah, humans don't have that."

Wrex looked taken aback. "Oh. It must have been painful, then. But you're standing here, and you've got a strong new ship. Takes me back to the old days. Us against the unknown, killing it with big guns." He smiled with bliss. "Good times."

Shepard then began to ask about Wrex's reforms. Wrex told him that they were creating a neutral ground for all the clans. This way they could share fertile females and strengthen their race as a whole.

Wrex also told him about the new security measures that were going on with the neutral ground. Clans were free to bring in hostages and they could either pay a fine or their clan will be no longer welcome.

As for the female krogan apparently they actually what was that suggested the idea. This strategy protected Urdnot, because no clan would want to attack a fertile female. It also gave the females a chance to speak their own minds within their racist politics.

"This sounds ambitious," Shepard noted. "How's it gone so far?"

"Better than I'd feared, worse than I'd hoped," said Wrex.

"It can't continue," said Uvenk angrily. "You are going against what makes us strong."

"Sounds like you're not making friends," Shepard noted.

"Traditionalists like Uvenk are chained varren. Always fighting, guarding their pathetic stick in the ground. When the smoke clears, I can plant the flag on their corpses and rally the rest around a new krogan hub."

"Sounds like you're counting on a lot of bloodshed, even after you unite."

"It will be slow, but I won't change what we are. Krogan are judged by the strength of our enemies. Our worst insult is to say someone's 'not worth killing'."

"I hope that works well for your people," said Shepard. "But back to the reason I'm here…"

"We don't often allow aliens to do business on Tuchanka, but you're an exception."

"I'm looking for a salarain," said Shepard. "He was captured by the Blood Pack and brought here."

"My stout commander can direct you. He's probably near the perimeter running target practice. Don't take too much of his time. I need a constant watch on the other clans."

"I have a krogan on my crew," said Shepard gesturing to Grunt. "He has some sort of sickness and needs treatment."

Wrex leaned in closer towards Grunt, who step forward. "Where are you from, whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what is expected of you?"

"I have no clan," said Grunt as Uvenk around him survey in him. "I was tank bred by Warlord Okeer, my line distilled from Kredak, Moro, Shigur—"

Uvenk narrowed his eyes at him. "You recite warlords, but you are the offspring of a syringe!"

"I am sure krogan. You should be in awe."

Wrex narrowed his eyes. "Okeer is a very old name. A very hated name."

"He is dead."

"Of course," said Wrex as he stood up and made his way down to Grunt. "You're with Shepard. How could he be alive?"

"I need Grunt back up to speed," said Shepard. "What's wrong with him?"

"There's nothing wrong with him," said Wrex. "He is becoming a full adult."

His companion eyes widened.

"Wait, Puberty?" Miranda stared.

"I don't care what aliens call it," said Wrex dismissively. "Krogan undergo the Right of Passage."

"Too far, Wrex!" Uvenk roared and stormed off. "Your clan may rule, but this thing is not krogan."

Wrex narrowed his eyes. "Idiot." He then looked at Grunt. "So, Grunt? Do you wish to stand with Urdnot?"

Shepard was quite surprised by this. "You'll let a tank-bred krogan join Clan Urdnot?"

"Only because he's with you," said Wrex. "After all, you and I killed thousands like him. Not quite as big, but many. Clan Urdnot is strong and the others will do as I say. They see the benefit of my vision."

Shepard looked at Grunt and then to Wrex. "This is his choice."

Grunt looked over the camp and looked at the other krogan warriors. He then turned to face them. "It is in my blood. It is what I am for."

"Good boy." Wrex smiled. "Speak with the shaman—he's over on the second level. Give him a good show, and he'll set you on the path." He then made his way back to his throne and looked at Shepard. "You too, Shepard. How many times have you stepped in a mess for your crew, hmm?"

"It's good to see you, Wrex," Shepard smiled. "Sure you can't come with us?"

"Wish I could, but I need to keep those shortsighted fools in line," said Wrex sitting down. "Hunt well, Shepard."

* * *

They soon made their way towards the second level of the complex.

"So, Grunt's is going through puberty?" said Jacob in disbelief.

"Quite common among species with hormone-driven reproductive urges," said Mordin.

"Yes, but this Rite of Passage seems to be a bit more extreme form of puberty than us humans," said Miranda.

"Sounds as if they have to prove themselves," said Tali. "It could be quite similar to my people's pilgrimage."

"It makes you wonder why Wrex didn't mention this before," said Garrus.

"Actually a not surprised," said Shepard. "Wrex barely knew us and krogan don't like sharing secrets that could be used against them."

"So you and the clan chief fought side-by-side before," said Grunt.

"Yes, during our hunt for Saren," said Shepard. "It's nice to see that he started a united people. When I met him he practically gave up on them."

"Maybe a bit of you rubbed off on him," said Garrus.

"Or maybe he knows that the Reapers are the perfect way for the krogan to be recognised as a galactic power," said Miranda.

"How about we just sort out Grunt's problem and then about krogan politics," Shepard suggested.

* * *

They make their way towards the shaman, who was busy arguing with Uvenk.

"You go beyond yourself, Gatatog Uvenk!" the shaman roared. "The right of Urdnot are dominant!"

"How do we know it will challenge him?" said Uvenk. "He's unnatural! The beast of the Rite could ignore him like a lump of plastic!"

"They know blood, no matter the womb. Your barking does not help your case."

"I'll speak for myself!" Grunt roared.

The shaman turned and looked at Grunt. "This is the tank-bred? It is very lifelike." He then sniffed Grunt. "Smell was correct as well." He then turned to Uvenk. "Your protest ring hollow, Uvenk."

"Urdnot Wrex has given us permission to seek clans that is for Grunt," said Shepard to the shaman.

"Permission," the shaman grumbled. "Hmph. That is good enough, if lacking in spirit."

"If this must stand on ritual, then I involve a denial!" Uvenk yelled. "My knatt stand against him! He has no one!"

The shaman glared at Uvenk then turned to them. "My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your knatt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"

Shepard stepped forward. "We stand with Grunt as shipmates and comrades."

"Shipmates are not the same thing, but I grant you aliens your simple interpretation," said the shaman.

Uvenk looked outraged. "Aliens don't know strength! My followers are true krogan. Everything about Grunt is a lie."

Shepard hoped that he knew enough about krogan culture to get this right. He then head-butted Uvenk with all his might. It hurt like hell, but he hopes that he made his point.

Uvenk glared at him. "You… you dare?"

The shaman laughed. "Ba ha ha ha! I like this human! He understands!"

"I withdraw my denial," said Uvenk reluctantly. He then glared at Shepard and Grunt. "This will be decided elsewhere!"

He then walked off, but not before making sure that he brushed against Shepard.

"You have provoked them," said the shaman. "Reason enough for me to like you. They're your problem now."

"Is that krogan going to be a problem?" Shepard asked gesturing at Uvenk.

"He is forbidden to interfere," said the shaman. "Will he? During the Rite of Passage, you must be ready for anything, Shepard. From what you've shown me, you will not disappoint."

"We're ready," said Shepard and Grunt slammed his fists together. "Let's do this."

The shaman smiled. "Excellent."

He then led the way.

"I can't believe you head-butted a krogan," Jacob shaking his head.

"It's how krogan showed dominance," said Shepard as they follow the shaman. "I only figured it out when Wrex head-butted him earlier."

"I have to admit that I am interested with krogan's culture," said Samara. "I only know so little through my journeys as a Justicar. It would seem as if the krogan keep their culture close to home."

"Makes sense considering they don't have any colonies and the fact that they're mistrusting with aliens," said Shepard.

"You would have thought that it wouldn't be as hostile to us humans," said Miranda. "Considering that we weren't part of the Krogan Rebellions."

* * *

Soon they were in a krogan tank driving across the ruined city. Shepard had to wonder what the krogan were life before they went to war with one another.

The tank came to a stop when they exited and found themselves in another bunker.

The shaman then led them towards it. "This is Tuchanka's most recent scar, the last surface city to fall in the rebellions," the shaman explained. "The keystone was at the heart. It has survived wars and the passage of centuries. It endures—like the krogan."

They soon emerge from the tunnel and found themselves at the base of a large tower in the centre of it was some sort of large mechanism like some sort of hammer.

"If you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and its trials," said the shaman.

"What will happen?" Grunt asked.

"Who knows?" said the shaman. "You must adapt. You must thrive, no matter the situation. Any true krogan will."

The shaman then left them re-entering the tunnel and close it behind him.

Grunt looked at Shepard. "Let's get started, Shepard. Hit the Keystone!"

* * *

Shepard press the button to activate the Keystone and at once it shot a hammer into the ground. They then were attacked by varren it soon became clear that the Rite of Passage was a test of survival. It appeared that Grunt was enjoying himself as he shot the creatures with a shotgun.

Once they took down the varren, Shepard activated the Keystone again and like before it shot a hammer into the ground. They were soon attacked by Klixens which were a strange crab like creature.

Once they took then down, Shepard yet again activated the Keystone with once again shot a hammer into the ground. Soon the entire ground began to shake and suddenly they saw several tentacles shooting out of the ground.

Shepard realised that once what they were facing, because he had seen them quite a few times now. Suddenly shooting out from the ground was a large thresher maw. Shepard had never tangled with a thresher maw on foot or at least without the tank to back him up.

Fortunately, he knew there weakness and concentrated his fire on the large tongue which was sticking out of its mouth. Unfortunately, the thresher maw refused to stand still and sank into the ground and shot some sort of slimy substance at them. Shepard using the Collector weapon on it to bring it down until eventually it collapse and laid there motionless.

Then no sooner had they took down the thresher maw that a ship flew overhead.

"We have company," said Grunt. "Good. I want more."

"So killing a thresher maw wasn't good enough for you," Jacob panted.

"Not even close," said Grunt.

"Let's see who our visitor is," said Shepard, though he only had a pretty good idea who it was.

* * *

They followed the share to another section of the tower and found Uvenk and several armed krogen.

"You live, and you brought down the thresher maw," said Uvenk as he paced up and down. "No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last."

"My krantt gave me strength beyond my genes," said Grunt gesturing to Shepard and the others. "Which are damned good."

"This will cause discussion," said Uvenk. "I wonder… you say you are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Just the warlord Okeer?"

"The best krogan traits are distilled into Grunt," said Shepard narrowing his eyes. "He's designed to be perfect."

Uvenk turned at him. "Being designed is the problem." He then looked back at Grunt. "But not made by aliens. And he is truly powerful. This is a tolerable loophole."

"A what?" Grunt snarled.

Uvenk began to circle around them. "A reason to accept it. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans."

Grunt glared at him. "You spit on my father's name! On Shepard's name! But now you stop ranting because I'm strong?"

"With restrictions. You could not breed, of course. Or serve on an alien ship. Bird you'd be clan in name."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You talk like he's a thing. You're after his power. You don't really want in your clan."

"Of course not. I didn't really want to cooperate with clan Urdnot either, but I had to. Clan Gataog is on the verge—either of greatness or of joining the dust." He then turned to Grunt. "I get traditional support if I fight you, and the former supported if I back you. Your Rite of Passage chips that balance, too."

Shepard didn't want Grunt to join this guy, but it was his choice. "It's your choice, Grunt. Sounds like an easy job."

"That's the problem," Grunt growled. "I'm pure krogan. Uvenk, you are the pretender!"

"Your head is valuable whether you're alive or dead!"

Grunt pulled out a shotgun. "Just try and take it!"

Uvenk's guard pulled out their shotguns as well. Shepard and Grunt looked at one another and ran to cover before one fired a rocket launcher.

Fortunately all this time Garrus and inflating himself in position and fired his sniper rifle at the krogan the rocket launcher. Samara was using her biotics to create a singularity causing some the krogan to be lift off the ground.

Miranda and Jacob then fired several shots at them while they were defenceless and Tali shot a krogan with her shotgun. Shepard and Grunt on the other hand were tangling with Uvenk, we try to make a swing at Shepard, but he dodged him and dealt him a powerful uppercut.

Grunt then came charging in and slammed into him causing him to fly into one of the old pillars. Uvenk pulled out his shotgun and fired, but nothing was stopping Grunt as he took them head-on. He grabbed the shotgun and crushed it with his bare hands before punching him across the face. Shepard then finished him off with several shots from his pistol.

"Uvenk is meat," said Grunt. "Let's signal at the keystone to get out of here, and leave him to rot."

* * *

They returned to the keystone found the entrance reopened and found several krogan guards waiting for them. They led them back to the tank and they headed back towards Clan Urdnot.

The shaman was there waiting for them. "You have passed the Rite of Passage, earning the honour of clan and name." Grunt then went down onto his knees. "Many survive, but it has been years since a thresher maw fell! Your names shall live in glory. Grunt, you are Urdnot. You may now own a property, join the army, and apply to serve under a battlemaster."

"Shepard is my battlemaster," said Grunt. "He has no match."

The shaman nodded. "Understood. Congratulations, Urdnot Grunt. Accept this token from Fortack. His weapons are the finest we have."

Shepard then asked the shaman a bit more about krogan culture. As it turned out he gave up his name the moment he became a shaman. They also had other rites that determine their survival in birth and breeding and as it turned out the clan chief had to go through many might also. The shaman himself when through several rites that probably would have killed a lesser man.

"I should go," said Shepard.

"May your foes be strong enough to keep you sharp."

* * *

Shepard then made his way back to Wrex, who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"You just can't help making trouble," he said. "No one has killed a maw since my turn into the Rite. Next you'll tell me he he's a quint and craps dark matter." He shrugged. "Guess that's what it takes to replace me."

Grunt then approached him and Wrex rubbed his chin as he looked at him. "You are Urdnot Grunt. Welcome."

* * *

"Are you sure these reports are accurate?" said the Salarian Councillor.

Rick was with Anderson and Ashley as they talk to the holograms of the Council.

"We've doubled and tripled checked it, Councillor," said Anderson.

"What you must understand Councillor is that we find is very hard to believe," said the Asari Councillor.

"Do you have any idea what you're implicating by claiming the Collectors are Protheans," said the Turian Councillor looking outraged.

"Are you suggesting there were making this stuff up," said Ashley clenching her fists.

"Easy," said Rick holding Ashley back. "What's Chief Williams is trying to say is that what would we have to gain to make something like this up?"

"Your claim that the reapers exist," said the Turian Councillor.

"There's that, but do you really think we would be stupid enough to give you false information that you can easily contradict?" Rick asked.

"The members of my government say that the data is not fake," said the Salarian Councillor.

"Besides weather were not the Reapers exist you must wonder what destroyed the Protheans and wiped away their history so thoroughly?" Rick added.

"The Commander does have a point Chancellor," said the Asari Councillor. "Whether or not the Reapers are involved a civilisation as powerful as the Protheans couldn't be wiped out easily and what would one have to gain by wiping their history and not place themselves on top?"

"You're not honestly suggesting these Reapers exist?" said the Turian Councillor.

"I'm saying nothing except that we need to study this new information and determine how such a thing happened to the Protheans," said the Asari Councillor.

"For the moment we should keep this under the table," said the Salarian Councillor. "Nothing must exit these walks."

"Agreed," said Anderson.

"Then this meeting is adjourned," said the Asari Councillor.

Anderson turn to Rick with a small smile. "You should have become a diplomat, Commander."

"I prefer getting my hands dirty," Rick shrugged. "Politics aside I have to say that we seem to be making headway with our Reaper story."

"Let's just hope the Council get off their asses," said the Asari Councillor crossing her arms.


	22. Old Blood

There were making their way to the Scoutmaster to find out more about Mordin's pupil when he encountered an engineer working on a broken down tank. Apparently he was missing an engine manifold to fix the tank and Shepard promised he would look out for one.

The Scoutmaster turns when he saw them. "What you want, human?" he asked with his arms crossed. "Wrex told me to be polite. He didn't say you were going to talk to me."

"I'm looking for a salarian," said Shepard. "The Blood Pack captured him, and he was last seen around here."

The Scoutmaster turned and looked his terminal. "I heard about that salarian, poor bastard. If it's Blood Pack, then Clan Weyrloc has him. Then one of my scouts to check it out, that he never reported back. Guess they got him, too." He then turned back to face Shepard. "Chief told me to give you one of the trucks. Just follow the highway to Weyrloc's base, if you've got the quads to deal with him and the Blood Pack."

"What can you tell me about Clan Weyrloc's bace?" Shepard asked.

"Last I heard, the clan was holed up in an old hospital. I haven't seen it, though. I've only seen Clan Weyrloc from a distance. If I'd gotten closer, I'd have taken a shot. You get inside, though, bring a big gun. Weyrloc's base is crawling with Blood Pack."

Shepard frowned. "That doesn't sound too defensible. Why'd they hold up there?"

"Any hospital on Tuchanka has to be built well enough to withstand a bunch of enraged krogan," he pointed out. "When an injury forces us to switch over to secondary organs, things get messy. Higher thought processes don't always transition properly. 'Blood rage,' they call it."

"What's Clan Weyrloc's reputation? And how are they involved with the Blood Pack?" Shepard asked.

"Tough humps," he said bluntly. "And they're not friendly, like we are. You ever run into the Blood Pack? Mercenary gang. Clan Weyrloc started it. One of the only gangs with an off-world presents. They're fanatics, totally devoted to Weyrloc Guld. Whatever they did with your salarain, Guld's behind it."

"What makes Guld so special?" Shepard asked crossing his arms.

"He's got two children. One of them is a girl. Some people think he's got a destiny." He then shook his head in disbelief. "Not me. I had a cousin who won 20 consecutive games of quasar. Lucky bastard. I'd asked my cousin for a loan, but I wouldn't swear allegiance to him. Luck. That's all it is. Same for Guld."

Shepard frowned. "But the Blood Pack has non-krogan members—like vorcha."

He laughed. "The vocha? They're just like varren, only they can use guns and don't crap on the floor as often. The krogan are the only real members of the Blood Pack. Anyone else is just there to soak enemy fire."

"Thanks for the information," said Shepard.

"Anything that gets rid of the damn offworld," he grumbled. He then pointed to a truck not too far away. "You can take the truck over there."

"Problematic," said Mordin as they made their way to the truck. "Maelon, in trouble. Needs help immediately."

"Clan Weyrloc sounds trouble," said Miranda as the entered the truck.

"Which means taking them down will be even more fun," said Grunt slamming his fists together.

"Check your weapons," said Shepard as he sat down in the driver's seat. "I have a feeling that we've got a tough fight ahead."

* * *

Shepard drove until they reach the ruins of a hospital. Like the rest of the ruined city of the place took a beating Shepard was amazed that the place was still standing.

Making their way through the hospital was no easy feat when they were attacked by klixen, vocha, varren and members of the Blood Pack. So on the bright side Shepard was able to find an engine manifold.

Shepard then had to hack their way into the lower section of the hospital. Fortunately the encryption was easy to break through though the acting to no surprise to him. The krogan were more into creating destructive weapons than strong encryption algorithms.

"Repurposed kogran hospital," said Moridn looking around. "Study. Built to rest and punishment."

"Not surprising considering they were keeping injured krogan here," said Garrus.

"Still there must be a reason why Clan Weyrloc chose this location as their base," said Jacob. "Krogan hospital or no hospital, an underground bunker would have done just fine."

"I have a feeling they'll find a and said the deeper we go," said Shepard.

* * *

They didn't go very far when they came across the body of a human corpse.

"That body. Human. Need to take a look," said Mordin bending down.

Mordin activated his omnitool and scanned the human corpse. "Sores, tumours, ligatuers showing restraint at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injections sites. Test subject. Victim of experimentation."

"I don't suppose there's a way to tell who this poor bastard was?" Shepard asked.

Mordin shook his head. "No tattoos or ID. Maybe slave or prisoner. Maybe merc or pirate. Irrelevant now." He continued to look at the data that appeared. "Clearly part of krogan tests to cure genophage. Humans useful as test subjects. Genetically diverse. Enables explanation of treatment modalities."

Shepard bent down towards him and looked disgusted. "Experimenting on humans? That kind of crap is what makes Cerberus start to seem like a good idea!"

"Never used humans myself. Disgusting, unethical, sloppy. Used by brute-force researchers, not thinkers. No place in proper sites. Krogan use of humans unsurprising."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I imagine you had to do some live subject testing while developing the new genophage."

Mordin shook his head. "No. Unnecessary. Limit tests to simulations, corpses, clone tissue samples. High-level tests on varren. No tests on species with members capable of calculus. Simple rule, never broke it."

Shepard can understand why they were using human test subjects. "Wouldn't something native to Tuchanka work better? Varren, maybe?"

Mordin nodded. "Yes. Human experiments strictly high-level, concept testing. Native Tuchanka fauna likely use later, in development stages. Wise to delay use of varren into necessary. Powerful bite."

"How humans more genetically diverse?" Shepard asked.

"More variables. Peaks and valleys, mutations, adaptations. Far beyond other life. Makes humans useful test subjects. Larger reaction smaller stimuli."

Shepard frowned. "I know we can look much different from each other, but asari have a wide range of skin tones."

Mordin shook his head. "No. Ignore superficial appearance. Down to genetic code. Biotic abilities, intelligence levels. Can look at random asari, krogan, make reasonable guess. Humans too variable to judge. Outliers in all species, of course. Geniuses, idiots. But humans probability curve offers greater overall variety."

"Now we got two reasons to shut this place down," said Shepard getting to his feet.

"Focus on Maelon," said Mordin. "Too late to help the dead."

* * *

They continued to make their way into the hospital and soon they retraced their well and looking down from the top of the balcony was a krogan with several guards around him.

"I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc, offworlders," he said narrowing his eyes at them. "You have shed our blood. By rights, you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the Chief of Chiefs, has ordered that you be given leave to flee and spread the message of our coming."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Krogan don't generally let people go. What does Clan Weyrloc have planned?"

"If you walk away now, you can tell your children that you saw Clan Weyrloc before our Blood Pack conquered the stars. You think the Urdnot impressive? They are pitiful. Weyrloc Guld will destroy them! The salarian will cure the genophage and Clan Weyrloc will spread across the galaxy in a sea of blood!"

"Appears they have discovered Maekon's work. Unfortunate," Mordin whispered.

Shepard hoped that diplomacy would work. "It doesn't have to be like this. I understand wanting to cure the genophage…"

The krogan glared at him. "No, human! You understand nothing! You have not seen the piles of children that never lived! The krogan were wronged! We will make it right, and then we will have our revenge!"

Shepard shook his head. "Half the galaxy sees the krogan as victims! If you start a war, you'll lose their support!"

The krogan wave his hand dismissively. "We have the Blood Pack, and we have the salarian! When on clan numbers in the millions, we will not need support. When we cure the genophage, Weyrloc Guld will rule all krogan! The Krogan Rebellions will become the Krogan Empire! The surviving races will frighten their children with tales of what the Blood Pack did to the turians! The asari will scream as their Citadel plunges into the sun! We will keep salarians as slaves and eat their eggs as a delicacy!"

Shepard rolled his eyes and pulled out his pistol. "You talk too much."

He then fired a shot of a gas canister below the krogan, who laughed pulling out his shotgun. "See? The human cannot hit a simple target!"

He then heard the whistling of gas leaned over to see gas leaking out of the pipes. Shepard then fired another shot igniting the gas and set ablaze. He screamed as the flames consumed his body and at once his guards began to fire at them.

"Nice shot," said Garrus pulling out his sniper rifle.

"I thought so," said Shepard as he fired his facility krogan, who tried coming down the stairs.

Tali let loose a drone that cause a distraction which gave Garrus time to fire several head shots of the guards. Grunt didn't even bother to take cover and charged at the krogan coming down the steps and began to beaten to death.

Both Miranda and Jacob use their biotics to cause the krogan to be lifted up into the air. Shepard and Mordin then fired a few shots at them using freezing ammo to penetrate their armour. Tali then fired several shots at a vorcha that came running down.

"Labs likely through there," said Moridn pointing at the open door. "Can smell antiseptic, hint of dead flesh."

"Just get us there," Grunt grumbled.

* * *

Once they made their way up the stairs Mordin found an active console. "Active console," he noted. "May contain useful data. One moment." He then began to access the system. "Genetic sequences. Hormone mutagens still steady. Protein chains, live tissue, clone tissue. Very thorough. Standard treatment vectors. Avoiding scorched-earth immunosuppressants to alter hormone levels. Good. Hate to see that."

"Most people wouldn't be so casual developing a sterility plague, Mordin," Shepard pointed out.

"Not developing. Modifying. Much more difficult. Working within confines of existing genophage. A hundred times complexity. Errors unacceptable. Could cause total sterility, malignant tumors. Could even reduce effectiveness. Worse than doing nothing. Had to keep krogan population stable. One in one thousand. Perfect target, optimal growth. Like gardening."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "Pretty it up however you like. You're talking about murdering millions!"

Mordin shook his head. "No. Murdered no one. Altered fertility, prevented fatal development of nervous system. Have killed many, Shepard. Many methods. Gunfire, knives, drugs, tech attacks, once with farming equipment. But not with medicine."

Shepard frowned. "You're saying you were working just as hard to keep their population from falling?"

Mordin nodded. "Yes. Could have eradicated krogan. Not difficult. Increased mutations to degrade genetic structure further." Shepard doubted that the krogan would see it that way. "Chose not to. Rachni extinction tragic. Don't want to repeat. All life precious. Universe demands diversity."

"What was it like, working on the genophage modification project?" Shepard asked.

Mordin smiled as if reliving a fond memory. "Best years of my life. Wake up with ideas. Talk over breakfast. Experiments all morning. Statistical analysis in afternoon. Run you simulations during dinner, set data runs to cook overnight. Laughter. Ego. Argument. Passion. Galaxy's biggest problem, massive resources thrown at us. Got anything we wanted."

"Do you keep in touch with your old team members?" Shepard asked.

Mordin shook his head. "No. All change with development. Made test drop on isolated krogan clan. His rest of Tuchanka when results were positive. End of project. Separate ways. Watching it and, watching birth rates drop. Personal. Private. Not appropriate for team."

"Sounds like you were pretty important," Shepard noted. "How'd you go from that to running a clinic on Omega?"

"Wanted to heal people. Good use of last decade. Something easy. No ethical concerns. Understand rationale for modified genrophage. Right choice. Still hard to sleep some nights."

"We're not going to find Mordin staring at consoles," said Shepard. "Come on."

* * *

They search through the lab and saw several dead krogan on operating tables. Mordin approach the operating table picked up the datapad.

"Dead krogan. Female. Tumours indicated experimentation. No restraint marks. Volunteer." Mordin then moved to another female corpse. "Sterile female willing to risk procedures. Hoping for a cure. Pointless. Pointless waste of life."

Shepard shook his head, if he had been in the same predicament he probably would volunteer for such experiments. "I didn't expect you to be disturbed by the sight of a dead krogan."

Mordin stared at him. "What? Why? Because of genophage work? Irrelevant. No, causative," he said pointing his finger at him. "Never experimented on live krogan. Never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, only reaction to it. Goal was to sterilise population. Never wanted this. Can see it logically… but still unnecessarily. Foolish waste of life. Hate to see it."

Shepard folded his arms. "I didn't think you'd had much direct contact with things like this. Did you come to Tuchanka after dropping your plague?"

Mordin nodded. "Yearly recon missions. Water, tissue samples. Superiors offered to carry it on. Refused. Needed to see it in person." He then looked at the corpse. "Need to look. Need to see. Accept it was necessary. See small picture. Remind myself why I ran a clinic on Omega."

He then moved his hands in a gesture above the dead female. "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find someplace better."

Shepard blinked. "I didn't expect spirituality from you, Mordin."

"Genophage modification project altered millions of lives. Then sell results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition. Frailty of life. Size of universe. Explore the religions after work completed. Different races. No answers. Many questions."

"Sounds like you were trying to deal with your guilty conscience," said Shepard. "The doctor that killed millions."

"Modified genophage project great in a scope. Scientifically brilliant. But ethically difficult. Krogan reaction visceral, tragic. Not guilty, but responsible. Trained as doctor. Genophage affects fertility. Doesn't kill. Still cause this. Hard to see big picture behind piles of corpses."

Shepard shook his head. "Can you really just rationalise it all away? How do you justify it?"

Mordin took a deep breath. "Wheel of life. Popular salarian concept. Similar to human Hinduism in focus on reincarnation. Appealing to see life as endless. Fixed mistake in next life. Learn, adapt, improve. Refuse to believe the life ends here. Too wasteful. Have more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more."

"If you need this much soul-searching to get over it, maybe the genophage was wrong."

"Had to be done," said Mordin firmly. "Rachni Wars, Krogan Rebellions all pointed to krogan aggression. So many simulations. Effects of krogan population increase. All pointed to war. Extinction. Genopahge or genocide. Save galaxy from krogan. Save krogan from galaxy."

Shepard shook his head, he doubted those simulations took account for Wrex's plans for his people. "You could have cured the genophage, instead. Brought hope to the krogan. They'd have rejoiced."

Mordin rolled his eyes. "Assume human reaction. Krogan stimulus response differently. Harsh environment, take chance to fight, flee. Would have caused chaos on Tuchanka. Victor would have worn economy, bloodthirsty army. Galactic expansion only logical outcome. More war, genophage saved lives war would have ended."

Shepard looked at the female corpse. "Look at the dead woman, Mordin. It doesn't look like you saved her."

Mordin closes eyes. "No. It doesn't. Worked with available data. Only option. No other possibility… Doesn't matter."

"You keep telling yourself that," Grunt glared and walked off.

"I can't deny that the genophage was the right thing at the time," said Garrus. "Though it hasn't exactly improved matters for the krogan."

"Maybe Wrex can change them around," said Tali.

"Let's hope so," said Miranda. "If the Reapers do invade the krogan will make excellent shock troops."

"That if they focus on the enemy instead of us," said Jacob.

"Let's keep moving before we start another war," said Shepard.

* * *

They continued searching around end Shepard came across a locked door. Hacking the encryption was easy and inside they found a sick–looking krogan.

He stared at them. "You killed the Blood Pack guards!"

Mordin examined him. "Not Blood Pack, not member of Clan Weyrloc. Wrong clan markings."

"I'm an Udrnot scout," said the krogan. "Weyrloc guards got me. Brought me here."

"The chief scout told us to watch out for you," said Shepard. "We've taken at the guards. Get back to Urdnot."

"I can't," he said. "The Weyrloc did things to me. Drugs. Injections. Said I was sacrificing for the good of all krogan. Experiments to cure the genophage. Everything's blurry. Hard to think. Have to stay."

Shepard looked at Mordin. "Mordin, can you get him back onto his feet? Stims, maybe? Something to bolster his immune system?"

"You don't understand," said the krogan. "I'm not too sick to leave. I have to stay. They're curing the genophage. They're going to make it all better! They have to keep doing the tests!"

Mordin leaned in towards Shepard. "Caution, Shepard. Patient unstable, susceptible. Brainwashed."

"Why do you want to keep doing the tests?" Shepard asked.

The krogan hangs his head down in shame. "Is my fault. I got caught. Wasn't strong enough, not good enough. This is the best I can do. This is all I can do. I'm not big enough to have a real shot with the females. I'll never have kids of my own. But if I help undo the genophage, then I mattered!"

"Millions of children will be born—Weyrloc children," said Shepard bent down towards the krogan. "They're going to destroy the other clans."

The krogan looked up at him. "But… no. No, they said I was helping Urdnot!"

"If you want to help, Urdnot, you need to get back there," said Shepard in a firmed voice. "But it would take a real badass to make it back to camp while injured."

"I can do it."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You? I said a badass, not some scout whining like a quarian with a tummy-ache."

"I'm standing right here!" Tali yelled indignantly.

"I can do it!" the krogan yelled getting to his feet. "I'm up! And I'm going to the female camp!"

"Damn right you are!" said Shepard standing up. "Get back there and show them what you're worth! Go, go!"

The krogan roared and limped out of the lab in what had to be the slowest charge in history.

Jacob looked at Shepard. "Your piece of work, Commander."

Tali looked at him. "'Quarian with a tummy-ache?'"

"I had to say something to him get moving," Shepard shrugged.

* * *

They made their way through the hospital killing more Blood Pack members and they were coming thick and fast. Shepard was able to use the explosive chemicals laying around to cause necessary distractions.

They kept on pushing closer and closer to the centre of the hospital and that's when they saw Weyrloc Guld himself approaching in a blood rage.

"Tremble and die, offworld scum!" he roared. "I am Weyrloc Guld, Chief of Chiefs! Blood Pack, attack!"

He rally the remainders of the Blood Pack and they all charge towards them. Shepard, Miranda, Jacob and Mordin jumped from behind their cover and fired several shots from their pistols. Garrus maintained his position and fired several shots from his sniper rifle taking out a few more. Tali unleashed a drone and fired her shot gun at the charging at armada.

However it was Grunt, who cause the most damage. When the Blood Pack mercenaries got close enough he punched one in the face and head-butted another and turnaround in time to fire his shotgun in the chest of a third.

Soon only Weyrloc Guld was left, Shepard was about to give him a chance to surrender. However, before you could get the words out Weyrloc Guld charged only to end up to be shot by Mordin with a carefully precise hit in the centre of his head.

"Another clan bites the dust Clan Weyrloc," said Grunt looking at the corpses. "And that is what will happen to the other clans if they dare attack Urdnot."

"Maelon can't be too far away," said Mordin.

"I doubt we have to hurry," said Shepard. "I have a feeling that Weyrloc Guld sent everything he had at his."

"Still have to be sure," said Mordin.

* * *

They soon approached a lab in the centre of the hospital and it only took Shepard a few seconds to hack the lock. When they entered they found a salarian standing in front of a holographic terminal as if he was running tests.

Mordin stared as they made their way towards him. "Maelon. Alive. Unharmed. No signs of torture. No evidence of torture. Don't understand."

"For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions," said Maelon turning towards them. "How long will it take you to admit that I'm here because I wish to be here?"

"He was kidnapped," said Shepard. "He came here voluntarily to cure the genophage."

Maelon nodded.

Mordin stared at him. "Impossible. Whole team agreed! Project necessary!"

"How was I supposed to disagree with the great Doctor Solus?" said Maelon narrowing his eyes. "I was your student? I looked up to you!"

Mordin looked outraged. "Experiments performed here. Live subjects! Prisoners! Torture and execution. Your doing?"

"We've already got the blood of millions on our hands, Doctor. If it takes a bit more to put things right, I can deal with that."

"You honestly think the experiments you did here are justified?" Shepard roared.

"We committed cultural genocide. Nothing I do will ever be justified! The experiments are monstrous… because I was taught to be a monster."

Shepard looked at Mordin. "Mordin, did you ever perform experiments like this?"

"No." Mordin narrowed his eyes at Maelon. "Never taught you this, Maelon."

"Your hands are clean! What does it matter if the ground is stained with the blood of millions! You taught me that the end justified the means. I will undo what we did, Professor. The only way I know how."

"What happens if the genophage is cured and the krogan expand again?" Shepard asked. "That will be on your head."

"We justified this atrocity by saying the krogan would cause havoc and war if their population recovered. But look at the galaxy! Batarian attacks in the Traverse, geth attacks on the Citadel. Is this a more peaceful universe?" He then looked at Shepard. "The assault on your Eden Prime might never have happened if we had let the krogan recover. We'll never know."

Shepard frowned. "How would a krogan population explosion have done anything to stop Saren and the geth?"

"An increased krogan population would have forced the Council to take steps, likely involving colony right in the Traverse. The turian leads would be vigilant for any military activity in the area. They might have stopped the geth at Eden Prime."

"Supposition. Impossible to be certain," said Mordin.

Maelon shook his head. "Don't you see? We tried to play god, and we failed! We only made things worse… and I'm going to fix it."

Shepard frowned, you can understand why Maelon allied with Weyrloc. If he went to Wrex, he would have all these problems and his argument would have been stronger for it. Shepard might not involve himself if Wrex was involved.

"Why were with Clan Weyrloc?" he asked. "And how did you access the genophage data?"

"The data was easy to obtain. We still had clearance. We were heroes. All I had to do was ask. As for the Weyrloc, they were the only clan with both resources and the commitment."

Shepard still didn't understand. "Urdnot has a larger camp that Weyrloc. Why not use them?"

"Urdnot Wrex was too soft. He wasn't willing to do the experiments I needed. It's Urdnot's loss and Weyrloc's gain. Their clan will be the first to recover from the crime we committed."

Shepard looked at Mordin. "Maelon clearly doesn't need rescuing. What you want to do?"

"Have to end this," said Mordin bluntly.

Maelon quickly pulled out a pistol, but he was shaking uncontrollably as he pointed at every single one of them. "You can't face the truth, can you? Can't admit that your brilliant in mind led you to commit an atrocity!"

Mordin then punched him in the face and he backed into a tank. Mordin approached him and pulled out his pistol. "Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice. Have to kill you."

"Wait," said Shepard. "You don't need to do this, Mordin." Maelon shook his head. "You're not a murderer." Maelon nodded.

Mordin narrowed his eyes at Maelon and then lowered his pistol. "No. Not a murderer. Thank you, Shepard." He then places pistol back into his holster. "Finished, Maelon. Get out. No Weyrloc left. Project over."

"What if he talks to more krogan, tells the public about the modified genophage project?" Shepard asked.

"Special Task Group good at covering tracks. No proof. Weyrloc willingly to work with salarian unusual. Other krogan will kill him."

Shepard nodded. "You heard the professor. Get out before he changes his mind."

Maelon looked at Mordin. "Where am I supposed to go, Professor?"

"Don't care," said Mordin looking at him in disgust. "Try Omega. Can always use another clinic."

"The krogan didn't deserve what we did to them, Professor." Maelon then walked off. "The genophage needs to end."

Mordin then looked at Maelon's research. "Not like this. Apologies, Commander. Misunderstood mission parameters. No kidnapping. My mistake. Thank you."

Shepard looked at Mordin wondering how the old salarian was taking it. "Don't worry about me, Mordin. How are you doing?"

"Should have killed him. Wanted to. Easier than listening. Easier for him, too. Experiments indicate how far he's fallen. Suspected it from krogan. Not one of mine."

"Maybe you'll remember that the next time you're discussing the ethics of the genophage."

Mordin nodded as he pressed a few buttons on the terminal. "Yes. So many variables. Stress responses. Impossible to truly predict. Something to think about. Maelon's research. Only loose end. Could destroy it. Closure, security. Still valuable, though."

"If you think it could be useful, why not hang onto it?" Shepard suggested.

"Worked for years to create modified genophage. Should destroy this. Maelon's work could cure genophage. Don't know. Effects on krogan. Effects on galaxy. Too many variables. Too many variables!"

Shepard was in two minds, he couldn't let another clan like Weyrloc get their hands on it and bring water the galaxy, but on the other if Wrex united the krogan and removed their violent tendencies then they could become something great.

He looked at Mordin. "You regret what the krogan have become. You see the horror of what they did, but you see the loss, too."

Mordin nodded. "Wasted potential."

"They don't deserve this, Mordin. Save the data."

"Point taken, Shepard." He then downloaded the data onto his omnitool. "Capturing data, wiping local copy. Still years from a cure. But closer than starting from scratch." The download was completed he wiped the computers for the data. "Done. Ready to go. Ready to be off Tuchanka. Anywhere else. Maybe somewhere sunny."

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

Soon they return to the camp and Shepard checked on the chief scout, who was pleased to see that his scout was alive. Sheppard then handed the engineer the engine manifest and went to check on Wrex.

EDI then made contact. "Clan Urdnot has increased in strength after the destruction of Clan Weyrloc. Based upon population profiles, Clan Urdnot has adopted surviving members of Clan Weyrloc. Mostly women and children."

Mordin looked pleasantly surprised. "Intelligent move. Surprising from krogan. Glad to see it."

"In addition, killing the thresher maw has produced several breeding requests for Grunt. And one for Shepard."

Grunt laughed.

Shepard shook his head and made his way over to Wrex. "I hear you're doing well from the destruction of Clan Weyrloc."

"Good riddance," said Wrex. "Tell me though did you find the salarian?"

Shepard nodded. "Believe it or not, he was trying to cure the genophage."

Wrex looked at him. "You're kidding?"

"I'm serious, but Clan Weyrloc would have benefited it and would have destroyed your clan and threatened the galaxy."

"I take it that you destroyed the cure," said Wrex.

"We wiped the local copy, but we downloaded a copy before we did," Shepard assured. "You never know when it might come in useful for us all for your people. Consider us even for happened on Virmire."

"Knowing others it still in the works is good enough," said Wrex. "I may be able to use that to unite the other clans."

"You near centre of government," said Shepard. "Why don't you call yourselves the Krogan Federation?"

Wrex looked up. "I'll think about it."

* * *

Rick had just got a message from Anderson and went to meet him in his office.

"Commander," said Anderson looking up. "I must say that I am actually surprised that you're still here."

"Why would you say that, sir?" Rick frowned.

"I would have thought that you would jump at the chance to join your uncle and cousins onto the Andromeda Initiative."

Rick had a feeling that would've come up. "Maybe everyone faces the Reaper invasion, sir. Besides a bit late now most of the stasis pods are full and then every preparing to launch."

"I understand that it was your uncle that persuade you to join the Alliance," said Anderson.

"Yeah, and I will miss him, but I have a feeling that my places here, sir."

Anderson nodded. "Your uncle was a member of Jon Grissom's original task force which travelled through the Charon mass relay wasn't he?"

"Yes, that's why Jien Garson wanted him on board the Hyperion."

Anderson smiled. "A born adventurer."

Rick smiled. "He couldn't stand in one place too often, sir."

"Then let's hope that he finds the adventure he's looking for in Andromeda," said Anderson.


	23. The Gift of Greatness

Back on the Normandy Shepard frowned Grunt immensely happy.

"Urdnot Grunt," he said as he paced up and down. "I like it. I have a clan. That makes me… it makes me want to fight—not able to!" He then clinched his fist in an enjoyable matter. "And Uvenk! I wanted to disembowel him! It's out his spine like a trophy!"

Shepard was slightly concerned by this. "We started this because you were losing control. Now you sound more violent than ever."

"Wrex said I was normal. Just had this built-up stuff because of being born in a tank. Now that I know it's not an outside thing and I have a place as a krogan, I like it." He then smiled. "Our enemies are in trouble, Shepard. And we better not run out of targets."

Shepard smiled at him. "There's no danger of that. They're practically lining up."

Grunt slammed his trip together enthusiastically. "Everyone gets a turn. Ha! Wouldn't want it any other way."

* * *

Shepard then it up with Mordin to see how he was dealing with the betrayal of Maelon.

"Still hard to believe Maelon betrayed me," said Mordin shaking his head. "Betrayed my work. Disgusted by his actions. Proud of his nerve, though. Always thought he lacked backbone. Hope you find something new. Better goal, better purpose. Fewer torture test."

Shepard stared at him. "You're really at peace with what happened?"

"Yes. Of course. Can't change what happened. Life continues. Back to mission, back to work. Become like Maelon otherwise. Salarian emotions processing faster than other species. Has to be. Short-lived culture. Can't spend time reminiscing."

"So you really don't feel bad at all what happened on Tuchanka?"

Mordin looked up from his research. "Yes, correct. Now, at least. Greatly distressed at the time. Stages of grief. Loss, anger, rationalisation. Dealt with it. Most issues settled on Tuchanka. Some on shuffled back to Normandy."

"Maelon didn't seem like he possessed his emotions response," Shepard noted. "He was obsessed with the genophage."

Mordin nodded. "True. Didn't mean to imply that salarians were healthier emotionally. Can still make wrong choices, bad decisions from grief, anger, guilt. Maelon couldn't accept feelings, made decisions, executed. Probably before I left for Omega. Wish I'd seen it." He then turned towards Shepard. "Salarians steel feel, just resolve it quickly. Explains lack of marriage. Can't sustain courtship emotions. Or perhaps based on reproduction. Unsure."

"What about Maelon's data on the genophage? His attempts at a cure?" Shepard asked.

"What about it? Have it over there somewhere?" said Mordin dismissively gesturing to his computer. "Not dealing with it now. Need to focus on Collectors. Not important now, regardless. Appreciate you helping me back on Tuchanka."

* * *

Shepard then went down to the medbay to see Dr Chakwas. He had a little present for her.

"How may I help you, Commander?" she asked.

"I have a present for you, doc," said Shepard holding out the brandy.

She just stared at it with her eyes widened. "Serrice Ice Brandy?" She then got to her feet and looked at Shepard. "You didn't." Shepard shrugged and Chakwas laughed. "Thank you. I always regretted not opening that original bottle—when I still could. I won't make the same mistake again. Why don't we open this bottle right here, right now, you and me?"

Shepard smiled. "You crack open the bottle. I'll get the glasses."

* * *

The two of them then spends her time drinking the bottle dry, laughing and retelling stories of their days in the Alliance.

"I thought Alenko's biotic display might have broken Jenkins' back, but Jenkins pops up and yells, 'That was awesome!'" said Chakwas impersonating Jenkins causing the two of them to laugh.

She then sat back down and sighed. "Ah, Jenkins. Soldier's like him make the Alliance great. Cerberus lacks the same… enthusiasm."

Shepard nodded. "With your service record, you could have gotten a tour on duty on any Alliance ship. Why did you really leave?"

Chakwas frowned. "Maybe it's less about leaving, and more about staying. As a military doctor. I mostly treat people who are in bad shape. Often, they die. And if I can help them, they move on. Either way, they leave."

"Don't you have any friends or family?"

She shook her head. "No, not lacking friendship—just stability. Jeff… Joker will always have Vrolik Syndrome. He would never admit it, but he needs my help. And he always will. I wish it weren't always, but sadly, it's true."

"Treating Joker gives you a kind of stability."

"So does this ship, even if it's just a copy." She then smiled at him. "Or, hell, maybe it's you. Shepard, immovable centre. A place for a person to stop and catch her breath. Or maybe I'm just happier drunk. Wouldn't hurt if it was simple like that for once?"

"To the people we care for," said Shepard holding out his glass.

"May we never take them for granted."

The two of them then drank.

* * *

Shepard had a nasty hangover when he woke up from his cabin. His cabin was now practically full of fish and ship models. Kelly had even offered to feed his face when he was away on active duty, and a place he took.

Speaking of Kelly, you remember that she mentioned that Jacob was a bit off after reading something on his emails. When you went to see him the man barely noticed him and only realised that he was in the room when they collided with one another.

"Commander? Sorry, I'm a little unfocused," he said apologetically. "Personal matter. It won't affect my duties."

Shepard very much doubted that. "The yeomen said you wanted to see me. What is this about, Jacob?"

"As I said, it's a personal matter. I don't want to waste our time if it turns out to be a goose chase," said Jacob as he paced up and down. "But…" He started and looked back at Shepard. "Well, I got pinged by a ghost the other night. Family."

Shepard frowned, Jacob told him that he had no family. "I'm listening."

"My private log got an update about the Hugo Gernsback, the ship my father served on," said Jacob leaning on the table. "It sent an SOS last week, reporting a crash and requesting a rescue. Shepard, that ship went missing ten years ago. I hadn't talked to my father for three years before that. I've buried everything but a body. I'm not convinced it's just an automatic distress signal ticking over. It's been too long."

"I'd think you'd be more excited that your father might be alive," Shepard frowned.

Shepard lost his father on Mindor and he would have been overjoyed to see him again. Even know the two of them had different career jobs in mind.

"He wasn't around enough to have bad memories," said Jacob. "It's an old, well-healed wound. Bert if he's actually alive and needs help… I also want to note that it's not a normal procedure for distress call was to be rooted to the Normandy. This was passed to my personal log through Cerberus filters."

"You didn't get along with your father?"

"He may no apologies, I'll give him that. You make a mistake, you own up to it, even if you keep making it. Whatever problems we had were a lifetime ago. I've had ten years to get to where I am now. And as far as I know, he's still a ghost."

"Tell me about the Hugo Gernsback and what was it doing," Shepard asked.

"Privately held figures. I looked over the mission brief when it disappeared. Nothing stood out. Typical research and grid operation. Found an uncharted planet, stake a claim, and establish as large a presence as you can as fast as possible to shut out competitors."

Shepard could see that this was greatly going to distract Jacob I mission of this importance distractions were dangerous. "I think we can spare the time. Pass the coordinates to Joker."

"I appreciate that, Commander," said Jacob gratefully. "I don't expect much more than dusty old bones, but it'll be good to close the record."

* * *

They soon reached the planet Aeia and send a probe to investigate the beacon they received from the Hugo Gernsback. The probe sent information telling them that the ship was indeed sending a distress signal.

They soon reached the planet on the shuttle and soon landed on the planet and EDI contacted them the moment they jumped off.

"I have run a scan of the ship. I detect no life signs, but there may be useful technology or information still inside," said EDI.

"There it is," said Jacob pointing towards the crashed ship. "And mostly intact. They could have survived the impact… but it's been years."

"Maybe the beacon was damaged and they just managed to repair it," Tali offered.

"Looks like it was stripped after the crash," Jacob noted. "They'd have tried to get a beacon up as soon as possible."

"Let's check the ship's computer and get some answers," said Shepard.

* * *

They accessed a computer terminal and heard the report from one of the survivors. It did not sound good in mentioned beatings and the fact that the cruel was suffering some sort of memory loss.

Then they heard the voice of VI. "Repeat: Toxicology Alert: Danger of rapid neural decay. Local flora chemically incompatible with human physiology."

They made their way over towards the VI and found the beacon operational. In fact it looked as if it had been operational for quite some time, years even.

"From the looks of it, this beacon's been here awhile," Shepard noted. "Why would they wait years to signal?"

"Pausing beacon protocol, eight years, 237 days, seven hours. Pause in recorded as: RECORD DELETED by Acting Captain Ronald Taylor."

"That's not right," Jacob frowned. "My father was first officer."

"Ronald Taylor was promoted under emergency command protocols. Other flagged issues: Unsafe deceleration. Local food and neural decay. Beacon activation protocols.

"Local food impairs brain functions? What are the effects?" Shepard asked.

"Impairment of mental functions due to chemical imbalance begins within seven days of ingesting local flora, regardless of decontamination or preparation. In fact on higher cognitive abilities and long-term memory is cumulative, but significant within a standard month. It is not known if neural decay is permanent. Data collection was not completed."

That did not sound good it that anyone had survived they wouldn't know up from down. Though they managed to get the beacon operational that meant that a few of them knew what they were doing.

"Why wasn't the beacon activated before now?" Shepard asked.

"This emergency beacon became functional after 358 days, 12 hours, following the unscheduled suborbital descent of the Hugo Gernsback. Activation was triggered remotely eight years, 237 days, seven hours on the authority of acting captain Ronald Taylor. Pausing beacon protocol is recorded as: RECORD DELETED."

Shepard doubted they would get much more information. "Come on, let's get going."

"Let's check the ship," said Jacob. "My father had the beacon for almost nine years. Maybe… that neural decay affected him."

Shepard nodded and looked at Mordin. "Mordin, even these effects are permanent?"

Mordin scratched his chin. "Not enough data to form hypothesis. Need specialised equipment to investigate. Recommend research ship for answers."

* * *

They investigated the ship and found more records the crew. One mentioned how a girl who lives, who threatened to report him now him with an innocent smile and he mentioned how they all looked innocent. The second came from the ship's doctor, who was clearly suffering from neural decay. The third mentioned how Jacob's father didn't command the same respect as the old captain.

"I have to say Jacob that things don't look good for your father," said Shepard looking at him.

"There still no record of what happened to him all the other members of the crew," said Jacob.

"We should check further inland," said Garrus. "If there were survivors they would choose a nice defendable range with plenty of cover to fend off predators."

"Sounds like a plan," said Shepard. "Let's move."

* * *

They made their way along the coastline where they found several crates lying around. Then suddenly out of nowhere a woman appeared, she had a very dazed look and her clothes were ragged.

"You came?" she screamed rushing over to them. "The leader said someone would come! He delayed for so long, but he still has power! Some have lost faith. The hunters! They will have seen your star. They will not let you help him."

Shepard looked bewildered. "What are you talking about? You're not making sense."

"I—I, uh… I don't remember how to say it," she said clutching her head. "He's our leader and we serve so… we can go home. But some want to fight him. They were—they were cast out." Shepard then saw movement behind her and went to investigate. "He exiled them, so they hunt his machines and who help him. They don't believe that rescue will come."

Shepard then saw a man appearing from behind cover with a pistol in his hand.

"Watch out!" he yelled and shoved the woman behind cover.

The woman automatically cradle herself. "Hunters! They won't stop until the leader is dead!"

"Kill them!" said the man is more men appeared with pistols. "Agents of the liar! He will not escape!"

Shepard then looked at his companions. "Injure! Don't kill!" he ordered.

That order was a lot harder than it sounded. Fortunately, Shepard and Mordin use their shock ammo to paralyse the hunters. Everyone else had to take aim at their legs to have them toppled over. Fortunately, they weren't well trained and were acting like animals than anything else.

Once the fighting stopped they tied up the hunters with very firm knot and made sure that they were far away from anything lethal. Mordin went to treat the woman, but she was too stunned to speak.

With the hunters tied up Shepard was certain that she was safe and they made their way up the cliff. On the way they encountered several mechs that have been stripped for parts and worn out, no doubt because of the hunters.

* * *

They made their way up the cliff and soon entered into a gorge and it looked as if there were people inside.

"Is that a settlement?" Jacob asked. "They'd better be friendly than the beach group. I need answers."

"Let's try not to hurt anyone," said Shepard. "I very much doubt these people know what they're doing."

Mordin nodded. "Yes. Neural decay indicates that it impairs brain functions. Unknown cure is reversible."

"We need a proper lab for that," said Shepard.

"Though it is clear that some are more violent than others," said Thane.

They soon entered into the settlement and to their surprise they found it completely filled with women. Some looked as if they had been beaten quite badly and their clothes were filthy and ragged looking. None of them attacked them with was a good sign.

"Huh. They're from the same group as the ones that attacked us, but these are docile," Garrus noted.

"There aren't any men here," Shepard frowned. "Maybe it affects genders differently? Makes males get violent?"

"Previous female said hunters were exiled. Behavioural or gendered-driven," said Mordin as he scanned the women.

Jacob then walked up. "It doesn't matter right now. One of these people must know what my father has to do with this!"

The moment they saw Jacob's face the women backed away.

"You have his face! He promised to call the sky, but he sends nothing."

"He forces us to eat, to… decay. You are cursed with his face!"

Shepard looked at Jacob. "Not the best reaction to the family resemblance, Jacob."

Jacob shook his head. "Why would my father forces crudity toxic food? Whatever's happening here needs to stop."

Shepard nodded. "Agreed. Mordin, you probably should stay here and find out what you can about this toxic food. Maybe you can find a way to treat them."

"What about the rest of us, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"We investigate the camp."

* * *

As they looked through the camp things got worse and worse. There was absolutely no food except for the toxic food and there were some sort of sculpture in the centre of the camp. From the size of it it looked as if that they drag it all the way from the beach.

Suddenly they came across several mechs attacking a woman. They intervene just in time before she got to badly beaten up.

"His mechs shoot without question? Not exactly long-term discipline solution," said Garrus.

"Well that would make them hate him. But maybe it was just for defence," said Jacob.

"I'm sorry Jacob, but I think we've gone well beyond that," said Shepard.

The woman that the mechs attacked for a doctors uniform. No doubt she was the ships medic.

"Please. Here. You could end it," she begged. She then turned to Jacob. "You… have his face… but you fight is… machines. You might stop this." She then handed Jacob a datapad. "This… I forgot how to… read, but this… was the start. What he promised, and what they did to us. We need the sky. Take us back to the sky."

Doctor then walked off and Mordin went to check for injuries. Jacob then access the datapad and what he saw looked troubling.

"Jacob? What does it say?" Shepard asked.

"It's a crew logbook. Some of them thought the beacon repair was taking too long. They were afraid they'd run out of supplies and lose their minds to the decay. My father restricted the ship and food for himself and the others officers so they wouldn't be affected. Everybody else had to eat toxic food and hope for treatment later. The rest is a casualty list. A few mutinied over the decision. My father and the officers turned the mechs on them."

Shepard nodded, he had seen the sort of thing before. "He was in command material, and it got to him. Couldn't keep the crew in line without violence."

"It didn't stop there. More incidents, harsh punishments. It's like they're cattle. Or toys. In a year, all the male crewmembers are flagged as 'exiled' or dead." He then looked at Shepard with disgust. "They separated out the women. Assigned them to officers like pets. And after the beacon is fixed, the officers appear in the casualties, too. After! My father took control and didn't stop it."

Shepard can believe that Jacob's father created a harem. "Does it say widely separated the men and women? Or is it as bad as it seems?"

Jacob shook his head. "No, it tends to gibberish. Maybe the men got violent early on, but from the state of this place, I'd say the hunter thing is recent." Jacob then clinched his fists. "What he allowed him, Shepard… I don't see any justification."

Shepard frowned. "We haven't seen any other offices. He killed them?"

"There were five after the crash: medical, engineer, bridge staff," said Jacob looking at the datapad. "Should've had no problem fixing the beacon and keeping people safe. All killed within the same week—about a month after the beacon was repaired."

Shepard shook his head. "Do you see any explanation for this? He's your father?"

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Is he? None of this fits. Maybe the initial decision, but the rest? Abuse of power doesn't get any clearer than this. I need to find this man."

* * *

They found the entire path blockaded, Tali was able to reconnect and circus on a damaged mech. This course and overload the neck exploded destroying the barricade.

"This is Captain Ronald Taylor!" said a voice on their radios. "Thank god you're here! My crew went insane. I only just got free!"

"Goddamnit," said Jacob clenching his fist. "It's really him. Just got free? He's covering his ass."

They didn't go far down the line when they saw some corpses.

"The old corpse was posed, like a warning," said Garrus. "The new ones were left where they fell."

"The hunter started fighting back," said Jacob.

"Can't say I blame," said Shepard. "If we get out of this alive he'll be locked up quite some time."

"I cannot understand why a father would not wish to be reunited with his son," said Thane looking at Jacob.

Jacob shrugged. "At least you try to make up with your son. My old man didn't even try."

Seconds later they were attacked by mechs.

"Careful," said Ronald Taylor. "I automated my defences after the crew turned violent. They keep attacking! I had no choice."

"He had plenty of choices," Jacob growled as he shot down a mech. "Little late to blame his victims."

* * *

They kept on pushing through the mechs, who didn't pause one bit. Shepard managed to hack into a mech and had it turn on the others which gave them a bit of breathing room.

"I had to keep them busy, distracted, but it's getting dangerous," said Ronald Taylor over the radio. "Thank god you've come!"

"He had his fun and now he wants out," said Jacob furiously. "Son of a bitch."

"You do realise he just insult your grandmother," said Shepard.

"It's very hard insult your own family," said Jacob.

"I have to admit that this is an interesting family reunion," said Garrus.

"Considering the last two we had involved the death of one's father and the other stopping his son from assassinating this is quite normal," Shepard pointed out.

Tali looked at Garrus. "He's got a point."

* * *

They soon reached some sort of settlement on top of the cliff and found that not only mechs regarding it but some feral men.

"It took years to train my guards," said Ronald Taylor. "I'm afraid you'll have to fight them to rescue me."

Jacob looked furious. "Throwing people away. This… thing… is not my father."

"We just do the same thing we did on the beach, injure and not kill," said Shepard. "Then will have a talk with your father."

Taking down the mechs was easy, try not to harm the guards was another. Tali use a drone to distract them and Thane snuck behind them and knock them unconscious. Shepard uses shock ammo to paralyse any others.

Then suddenly a heavy mech blocked their path. Shepard fired a few rocket launchers that it severely damaging its armour and Garrus finished it with a well-placed shot from his sniper rifle.

"Enough with the toys," said Jacob they made their way towards the podium. "I need to look my father in the eye and hear him justify this."

* * *

They made their way to the podium and saw Ronald Taylor, he looked like an older Jacob and he was the first person they met to actually able to make sense.

"You're here!" he said with relief. "I knew a real squad would blow through just fine. Sorry if the mechs scuffed your pads." Shepard leaned over the balcony that overlooks the sea. "I'll get you something nice when we get back to Alliance space. I've got to have some back-pay coming."

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "What about your crew, Acting Captain?"

"Total loss," said Ronald Taylor. "The toxic food turned them wild. They propped me up here in some kind of ritual behaviour. Waiting for a chance to signal has been hell."

Jacob shook his head in disbelief. "That's the best you can do?"

Ronald Taylor looked at Shepard. "You let all your people talk back like that… uh… who are you, exactly?"

Shepard turned to face and folded his arms. "Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I believe you are acquainted with Mr Taylor."

Ronald Taylor's eyes widened and looked at Jacob. "Taylor? Jacob?" He shook his head. "No, not Jacob."

Jacob marched up to him. "Why not me? Would ten years of this look better to anyone else in the galaxy?"

"You have to understand. This isn't me," said Ronald Taylor. "The realities of command, they change you. I wasn't ready for that. I made sure you were taught right. Before I left. I had hoped to leave it at that."

"I'm not unreasonable, Captain," said Shepard. "But ten years? What happened?"

Jacob practically spat at him. "Goddamnit, why did you do this to your crew?"

Shepard notice out of the corner of his eye that some of the guards had regained consciousness.

"There was resistance to the plan," said Ronald Taylor. "Mutiny. We had to take a hard line to keep order. And things settle down." He then looked over the balcony and stared at the sea. "As the decay set, we made sure the crew were comfortable. Some even seemed happier. Ignorance is bliss, right? And they were grateful for guidance, like an instinct. Pure authority was… easy. At first."

Shepard then saw more of the guards approaching them, he turned around and gestured to the others. They pulled out their weapons and pointed them at the guards, thankfully they didn't bother to attack and surrendered. Walked up to Jacob as his father continued to talk.

"Months in, the effect lowered inhibition. They got territorial. Rank, protocol—they couldn't understand. We had to establish dominance. After a while the perks seemed… normal."

Jacob looked at the furious. "That's it? You created a harem and played king? Ten years in a juvenile fantasy?"

"I can't point to where it all went wrong. But when the beacon was ready, revealing what happened didn't seem like a good idea," said Ronald Taylor turning towards them.

"What happened to the other officers?" Shepard asked.

"Anders found his conscience a little too late to step back. He had an accident. Things got… tense. End of the day, I was the one with the mechs. I got a little basic in settling examples, but I was kind to my people once things settle down. Seemed like I earned some peace."

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "You fought over people like they were toys. Things."

"The stores from the ship couldn't last forever," Shepard pointed out. "You have to know this would end one day.

"Dining for one really stretched things out," said Ronald Taylor. "Besides, I can think of a lot worse retirement plans than stripping down and joining the droolers. That was before the hunters of course. Dumb or not, I'd feel it if they got their hands on me now. They want the blood. I prefer to keep it."

"It's all about you. Everything," Jacob growled.

"You didn't feel any responsibility to get out for the sake of family?" Shepard asked gesturing to Jacob.

Ronald Taylor waved dismissively. "I gave them a good start. He was a smart kid and was better off not following me. We figured that out a long time before I took jobs in deep space. And after things escalated here, it seemed best to just disappear off the galactic map."

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Until you needed someone to save your ass."

"What triggered the males to change and threaten you?" Shepard asked.

"This planet has some strange cycles to it. I've seen some plants around I never saw before, odd weather. Maybe some just adapted a little too well."

"And if you treat them like animals—big shock—they become animals?" said Jacob furiously.

"We can help these people," said Shepard. "Cerberus that have ships here in days and pull everyone out."

Jacob then pulled out his pistol and aimed it at his father, who backed away fearfully. "He's not worth the fuel to haul him out, or the air he's breathing. He's damned lucky I don't even think he's worth pulling the trigger." He then lowered his pistol and glared at his father. "I don't know who you are. Because you're not any farther I remember."

Shepard folded his arms. "We'll secure him for an Alliance court. For every year here, he'll have ten to think about it."

"Give them all the time in the galaxy," said Jacob he then looked at his father with disgust. "The man who did this doesn't know right from wrong."

"I'm sorry, Jacob," said Ronald Taylor. "I did the best I could."

"I'm ten years past believing that," said Jacob as he walked away.

* * *

"Alliance ships are inbound secure Captain Taylor and his crew, Commander," said Joker over the comm. "We'll be long gone by the time they get here."

"Don't even given the taillights," said Shepard.

"Roger that."

Shepard then entered into the briefing room where Jacob was talking to the Illusive Man.

"What you mean, it wasn't you?" said Jacob.

Shepard entered into the hologram projector next to Jacob and soon came face-to-face with the Illusive Man.

"Jacob, if I had leaked information about the Gernsback, I would be smiling at your resolution of the situation," said the Illusive Man. "I'm not smiling."

"Nothing goes through this ship—my ship—without a report to you," Shepard reminded.

"I had no more reason to believe Jacob's father was alive than he did," said the Illusive Man calmly. He then looked to Jacob. "But I'm happy to know the situation is behind you."

"Fine. You didn't forward it. So who did?" Jacob asked.

"I did."

They all turned and found Miranda had just entered into the hologram projector.

"Figures," said Shepard folding his arms. "Who else could get into Cerberus channels?"

"It was hardly classified. Just obscure." Miranda looked at Jacob. "There was a time when it mattered to you. Sending this along seemed like keeping an old promise. I keep my promises."

"Miranda, we'll discuss your liberal interpretation of security protocol in private," said the Illusive Man. "Shepard, Jacob."

The hologram soon faded and Shepard and Jacob looked at Miranda, who walked out of the room. Jacob then turned and looked at Shepard.

"You good with this, Jacob?" Shepard asked.

"It's all bull, Shepard," said Jacob. "Captain Taylor can rot in prison—it doesn't change who I am or what I know. I've already worn mourned the man used to be. I guess he was a good enough father that even he can't screw up what he taught me."

Shepard looked at the doorway where Miranda had just vanished from. "You had no idea Miranda was behind this?"

Jacob shook her head. "No. She's got a good memory. Selective, but good. I haven't thought about those days in a long time. Can't figure which promise she meant, though. Not sure I really want to know. She… requires a better man than I."

Shepard smiled. "Come on. We've got work to do."

Jacob nodded. "Aye, Commander." He then looked at Shepard awkwardly and finally said, "Shepard? Thanks for the help."

Shepard shook his hand. "Anytime, Jacob."

* * *

Rick was in his quarters going through the mess that had happened on Aeia. Hackett had sent him and his team to investigate and what he found was unbelievable.

Ashley looked disgusted as well. "I can't believe what that guy did."

"His name is Ronald Taylor," said Rick looking through the ship's manifest. "According to this it was the first officer on board the Gernsback. According to the large the captain died on re-entry and so he took charge as Acting Captain."

"Taylor?" Ashley frowned.

Rick nodded. "Yes, he's the father of Jacob Taylor, the man that is on Shepard's team. From what we could get from the survivors, or as much as we can put together, Shepard and his team arrived on the planet and sorted things out. I imagine it was then that signalled the Alliance about this mess."

"So Shepard beat us to it again," said Ashley.

"He does have a habit of getting around," Rick nodded.

The door of his quarters opened and the ship's doctor approached him.

"Well, doc?" Rick asked.

"The reports are accurate, the survivors, apart from Captain Taylor suffered neural decay from the toxic food on the planet. Symptoms include memory loss and behaviour that is similar to primitive instincts."

"Is it curable?" Ashley asked.

"With a bit of work, maybe," said the doctor.

"Then don't let me slowly down doc," said Rick.

The doctor nodded and left.

Ashley looked at Rick. "What's going to happen to Captain Taylor?"

"It's out of my hands, but it's safe to say that you'll be locked up for quite a few years," said Rick. "He'll be lucky if he ever sees the light of day again."


	24. The Ardat-Yakshi

Shepard went to see how Thane was settling in.

"Have a view minute to talk?" he asked.

"Of course, Shepard. Join me," said Thane gesturing to the chair opposite the table.

Shepard sat down. "Still talking to Kolyat?"

Thane nodded. "Yes. It's still difficult. But he seems less angry." He looked up at Shepard. "We'll hear my confession, Shepard?"

"I wouldn't talk to you if I didn't want to hear what you have to say."

"When I married Irikah, the hanar let me leave their service to raise a family. That I had no other skills, so I freelanced. When Irikah was killed, I pursued those responsible. Once I eliminated them, I had no goal. I accepted the Dantius commission because I didn't know what else to do."

"Not the healthiest attitude to take on a mission," said Shepard.

"You're right. It's not. Looking back now, it's clear I'd resigned myself to death." He shrugged. "I would have fulfilled my contract. If Nassana's guard caught me afterwards—it would have been a good death." He then leaned in towards Shepard. "But someone else was pushing to reach the target. Forcing me to move faster. Challenging me. I had to reach her first."

Shepard just stared at him. "I had no idea you'd planned to die in there."

Thane looked at his hands. "It wasn't a plan. My body had accepted its death. My mind been dead a long time." He looked up at Shepard. "Your mission gave me purpose. A cause to die for. A chance to atone. I was able to speak to my son again. I can leave my body piece."

"You've had a hard life," Shepard nodded. "You deserve some peace."

"Whatever may happen, my gun is yours."

* * *

Shepard past the mess hall and heard Kenny and Gabby talking to one another. They were discussing the kinetic barriers that Jacob was able to get hold of.

"The new armour reinforcements really flew off the gravimetric profiles," said Gabby. "But engines are good to go. I rebalance the Gilbourne coefficients and adjusted the anterior intakes on the second tier stabilisers."

Kenny blinked at her. "I love you when you talk dirty."

* * *

Shepard got a message from Kelly informing him that Samara would like to talk with him. The moment he entered into her quarters she broke her meditation.

"I am glad you came," she said as she got her feet. She then made her way towards the window and looked out into the void. "I must ask you for your help. That is not easy for me."

"It's all right," Shepard assured. "Just tell me what you need."

"When we met on Illium, I told you about a very dangerous person I was pursuing," she said without looking away from the window. "Using the information you obtained, I have located her. She's been going by the name 'Morinth.' I would like to apprehend her before she disappears again."

"Where is she?" Shepard asked.

"Omega. A nightclub named Afterlife—which seems a perfect place for her to hunt."

"How important is this?" Shepard asked.

"Killing her has been my focus for 400 years. It is the most important thing in my life and the reason I became a justicar."

She must been quite impressive indeed if she was able to escape Samara for that long. "Tell me about."

"She is an Ardat-Yakshi." That meant swat to Shepard, but thankfully Samara realised it. "It is a term of a dead asari dialect. It means 'Demon of the night winds.' But that is mythology. She is simply a very dangerous woman who kills without mercy."

"So is an Ardat-Yakshi a special kind of murder?" Shepard asked as he approached her.

"Morinth suffers a rare genetic disorder," Samara explained. "When she mates with you, there is no gentle melding of nervous systems. She overpowers yours, burns it out, hemorrhages your brain. You end up a mindless shell, and soon after you are dead."

Shepard frowned. "Why isn't this ever mentioned in asari literature or art?"

"When we were primitive there is much fascination with Ardat-Yakshi," Samara explained. "Some cultures worship them as gods of destruction. Now the asari have a place in the galaxy, and they don't wish this defect to be widely known. As far as I know, only three exist today. Two choose to live a life of seclusion. The third ran."

"Morinth," Shepard guessed.

"She ran, and I am sworn to kill her."

"I don't know that I can blame her for running," said Shepard.

"When she fled, she proved her addiction. She was not taking a great moral stand—she simply wants to keep killing. She is a tragic figure, but not a sympathetic one."

"So you hunt down these asari just because they're born with a genetic condition?" Shepard stared. Shepard found it hard to believe that the asari would do such a thing, he always found the most cooperative of all the Council species.

"It manifests with maturity. When one is diagnosed, she is offered the chance to live in seclusion and comfort. If she refuses, it shows her addiction to the ecstasy she gets from killing her mates. There is no redemption for such a person."

"They have to choose between prison and death?"

"It is an addiction condition," Samara reminded. "Remember how adaptive we are. If Morinth does not want to be cured, she won't be."

Shepard nodded. "This is definitely worth of your full attention."

"She confuses her victims, with their feelings. They will do anything for her favour."

"We need to stop her."

"Thank you, Commander," said Samara gratefully. "There are no words to express what this means to me." Shepard made his way towards the door. "There is one more thing: this creature, this… monster. She is my daughter." Shepard came to a stop.

Shepard turned and looked at her. "You said this is genetic. How many children do you have?"

"Three," said Samara. Shepard feared as much. "And three Ardat-Yakshi are in existence today. It is as it sounds. Morinth was always the wild one—she was happy and free. But selfish."

Shepard tried to comfort her. "I cannot imagine what this is like for you."

"I do not want your pity, Shepard," said Samara brushing away his hand. "I do not accept it. My daughter's condition is my fault. And my redemption lies in killing her." Shepard just stayed silent, he felt sorry for Samara and what she must do. "Do not pity me. Simply understand my situation."

"How did all this happen?"

"I spent my youth on the move, adventuring. I killed people, mated with them, or just dance the night away."

Shepard found that very hard to believe, but considering that she was nearly 1000 years old he had to assume that she had quite an interesting life.

Samara looked at Shepard. "I learned so much, experienced so much. And my matron days came. I could finally sit back, and enjoy my family. But in one moment, it was all taken away."

"It sounds terrible," said Shepard.

"I sat in a med lab while a nearsighted doctor droned at me. And I learned that nothing was as I thought it would be. I gave up all that I possessed. I own nothing, claim nothing. All my knowledge will die with me. Now my purpose is to destroy my own children."

"Those moments change you." Shepard neutrality all too well after seeing his friends and family being murdered and the depth she witnessed on Elysium.

"And I've had hundreds of years left to live with that." She then turned to Shepard. "I say too much. Forgive me. Help me find my lost daughter. And kill her."

"We'll go find Morinth."

* * *

They soon reached Omega and the moment they disembarked EDI contacted them.

"The death count Omega is too high for me to pinpoint an Ardat-Yakshi's location," she said. "However, given the reputation of Ardat-Yakshi among the asari, Aria T'Loak may have tracked the movements."

"Thank you," said Samara.

"Aria does know everything that goes on in Omega," said Shepard. "And considering the threat that Ardat-Yakshi pose I imagine that she wants her out of Omega quickly and quietly."

* * *

They went to Afterlife and made their way towards Aria and sat down in the couch next.

"What do you need?" Aria asked.

"An asari fugitive is hiding out here," Shepard explained. "She's an Ardat-Yakshi. We need to find her."

Aria didn't look at all surprised. "I knew it. Nothing leaves a body quite so… empty… as an Ardat-Yakshi does."

"You haven't taken steps to kill her?" said Samara slightly surprised.

Aria shrugged. "Why would I? She hasn't tried to seduce me. Her last victim was a young girl. Pretty thing. Lived in the tenements near here. That's where I'd start looking."

Shepard got to his feet. "Thanks for the help."

"Good luck finding her. Better luck catching her."

* * *

Shepard and Samara went to the tenements district and went to the address that Aria had given them. When they opened the door they found the grieving woman, who have to be the girl's mother.

"Are you hear about my daughter?" she asked hopefully. "My Nef died a week ago, and no one seems to care. The medics said it was a brain haemorrhage, but that's not true. It was murder. Someone killed my Nef, my baby."

"I think she was murdered, too, and I'm looking for her killer," Shepard assured.

The woman goes to the feet and looked at Shepard with gratitude. "Oh, thank you! It's so hard when no one believes you. I'm all alone now." She then looked at them curiously. "Are you… one of Aria's people?"

"I'm here to help. Doesn't matter who sent me?"

"No one else on this hell-hole station gives a damn that my Nef is dead. If you can do something about it, I'll help you however I can."

"Did you daughter have a lot of friends?" Shepard asked.

"Not a lot, no. She was shy. She spent most of her time making her sculptures, not hanging out with friends. Something did change in the last you weeks, though. She started talking about an asari. Morinth."

"I see," said Samara grimly.

"I didn't like her. She kept dragging Nef out to clubs, and I'm pretty sure she sent my daughter drugs."

"What kind of person was this Morinth?" Shepard asked.

"I never met, but Nef talked about her like she was a queen. You'd swear there was no one else to alive when she talks about Morinth."

"That sounds familiar," said Samara.

Shepard turned and looked at her. "Samara, does Morinth control her victims with drugs?"

"She controls them through sheer will. The drugs are just a lifestyle. She loves the club, love the brass. She's a hedonist.

"So this Morinth did hurt my daughter?" said Nef's mother. "Is she the one that… that…?"

"I will bring justice to the one that did this," Samara promised.

Shepard nodded. "We swear to you: Nef will rest easy soon."

Tears began to flow down Nef's mother's cheeks. "I hope so. I hope so. Oh, my baby."

"Did Nef hangout anywhere in particular?" Shepard asked.

"She was always quiet, working here at home. Then, a few weeks ago, she started going out all the time, to the VIP area of that club down the street. I think you need a password or something to get in there. The change was so sudden, she just seemed… tired and distracted when she wasn't around Morinth."

"What kind of a girl was your daughter?" Shepard asked.

The tears started to come thick and fast. "My Nef had a fire inside her. She was shy, but she was creative and driven, and… the best girl a mother could hope for."

Samara looked intrigued. "She was creative? How so?"

"She was a sculpture. Several galleries were interested in her, said her work was fresh."

"Do you mind if I examine Nef's room?" Shepard asked.

"I didn't want to disturb anything. Her clothes, her art, her sculptures. Everything in is the way she left it. The way it will always be." She then placed her hands over her face and began to cry. "My baby is gone. She's gone, and nothing will fix that."

Shepard then placed an arm around her and she cried into his shoulder. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I just miss her so much."

"It's okay. We've all suffered loss," said Shepard. "I lost my family and friends a long time ago."

"I know what it means to lose a daughter," said Samara. "I will avenge her."

Nef's mother looked at them with a tearful face. "Thank you. Please, if it helps you find her killer, look through her things."

"We will be respectful," Samara assured.

"I'll examine her things," said Shepard.

* * *

Shepard began searching through Nef's room and found a note from Morinth, it mentioned an elcor artist by the name of Forta. Shepard then access Nef's diary which mentioned Nef entering into the VIP room at Afterlife by dropping the name Jaruut, dancing while taking a drug by the name of Hallex and a vid call Vaenia which apparently Morinth liked and it sounded as if it was about glamorous women.

"This is Morinth's work," said Samara. "She is attracted to artists and creators. Someone with a spark, slightly isolated from their peers. She impresses with sophistication and sex appeal. Then she strikes. The hunt interests her as much as the conquest."

Shepard nodded. "Anyone who's successfully hunted sapient beings for 400 years warrents caution."

"Morinth speaks to you on many levels. Her body tells yours that she'll bring unimaginable ecstasy. Her scent envelops emotions long hidden. Her eyes promise you things you always scared to ask of another. Her voice whispers to you after she is done speaking."

"She sounds more like a highly evolved killer than a genetic defect," Shepard noted.

"The condition has been present since my people huddled around fires at night. Perhaps it's symbiotic, rather than a defect." She then looked up at Shepard seriously. "Storming her den would be a mistake—she will have a hundred escape routes planned. She will go to ground and disappear for fifty years or more. This is the closest I've ever been."

Shepard rubbed his chin. "So we have to lure her out."

Samara nodded. "Exactly! Shepard, you read my mind. Afterlife VIP section seems her preferred hunting ground. You must go there alone and unarmed."

Shepard nodded. "She'll come after me."

"You can draw Morinth out. She'll certainly flee if she catches sight of me. But she won't be able to resist you. You are an artist on the battlefield. You have the vital spark that attracts her. Your power will draw her in."

Shepard nodded. "Time is wasting. Let's get over there."

"I agree. We can talk more once we're there."

"But first a change of clothes," said Shepard. "Somehow I don't think armour will lair Morinth out."

* * *

Once Shepard change into his formal wear he made his way over towards Afterlife's VIP section. He was at once stopped by a guard and Shepard mentioned Jaruut from Nef's diary believing it to be the password.

It was indeed the password he entered inside and he found that Samara was already inside hiding behind some crates. He made his way over towards her making sure no one had spotted him.

"You must going alone—Morinth will be watching," said Samara. "Like any predator, she is cautious. You must pique her interest enough that she will approach you. When you are face-to-face, subtly encouraged her to invite you to her apartment. I'll follow discreetly and when you are alone, I'll spring the trap."

She then looked at him with a very concerned look. "Know this: until I get there, you are in great peril. She will be planning to inflict horrors on you. If you are not careful, you will want her to."

"How can I sparked her interest when I'm not even talking to her?" Shepard enquired.

"Courage or suicidal bravery would attract her. Hurt someone in defence, and she will be excited; but pick a fight, and she'll be bored. Show skill at smoothing through a nightclub crowd. She will be intrigued. She'll want you the moment she sees you. The rest is just a matter of overpowering her caution."

"How do I convince her to take me home?"

"She admires strength, directness, and vigor. Modesty, chivalry, or meekness frustrate and bores her. Violence excites her. You've killed, Shepard—she'll like that."

"Okay, what other things have we learned about Morinth that can help us here?"

"According to Nef's journal, Morinth likes dancing while on drug called Hallex. Nef's journal mentioned David called Vaenia. It seems to have something to do with glamorous women. Morinth sent Nef a note saying she likes the eclor artist Forta. Well, Shepard—that's everything we know."

"Let's get started," said Shepard.

"Shepard, we only have one chance at this. Any mistake, and Morinth will disappear. If you're the least bit unsure, come talk to me. I will wait here." She then placed a hand on Shepard shoulder. "And Shepard: thank you. I do not share this burden easily, and you are the only soul I can imagine sharing it with."

* * *

As Shepard was making his way to the dancefloor he encountered a young man who is crazy about Morinth. Shepard took this as his opportunity to learn more about her discovered that she liked the concept known as Expel 10.

When Shepard made his way onto the dancefloor he found that the turian was making an appropriate advances onto an asari dancer.

"Don't be like that—I got creds," he said. "We'll go back to my place. I got simple tastes."

The dancer glared at him and shoved him back. "Back off, asshole. I'm a dancer, not a hooker."

The turian leaning closer towards her. "You got a mouth on you! I'll enjoy watching you use it."

Shepard took a step forward. "The lady asked you to step away."

The turian glared at him. "What the hell? I'm just looking for a good time—this isn't your business."

The turian marched towards him and the dancer looked away as he heard the sound of fists being flung. She opened her eyes and saw the turian flying right past.

"Good times are over," said Shepard.

The dancer smiled at him. "Thanks for that. Security was asleep."

* * *

Shepard then ran into a couple turian thugs that were planning on to beat down on a guy. Shepard gave them warning to back away, but they ignored him and ended up face first on the floor.

Shepard continue to wonder around dancing and drinking and then made contact with a nervous-looking guy.

"Um… Hi. I need help right now, and I don't know who to ask," he said. "You're human and you don't look high, so you're it. Can you help me out?"

"Slow down and tell me what the problem is," said Shepard calmly.

"Right. Slow down," he said taking a deep breath. "Sorry, I just don't know what to do. My friend Moirall is doing a piece on Omega gangs. She's hanging with Florit—he's the worst of the worst."

"Your friend could get hurt."

He nodded. "Yeah, and she's going to. See, Florit's on to her. His gang is on the way here, and they're going to make a mess of her. I have to get a message to her, and fast."

"What you want me to do?" Shepard asked.

"She and I have a code. If you go over and say two words to Florit, my friend will get the message and get out of there. The two words are 'terminal,' and 'eternity.' In that order." He looked at him pleadingly. "Please tell me you can do that. She's going to die."

"I can do that," Shepard assured.

"Thank you! Thank you. Remember, 'terminal' and 'eternity.' In that order. Just work them into a sentence."

Shepard nodded and made his way over towards the table where Moirall and Florit were sitting.

"You need something, man?" Florit asked.

"Is there a public extranet terminal around here?" Shepard asked.

Florit stared at him. "In a club? You don't have an omni-tool?"

"That is a pretty strange question," Moirall agreed.

"I get by on public terminals. My omni-tool's been broken for an eternity," he said looking at Moirall.

Moirall's eyes widened realising that Shepard was giving her the cold.

Florit was completely oblivious by this. "That's a tough break. I'm done talking to you now."

"Hey, Florit," said Moirall getting to her feet. "I have to pee."

"Yeah? Hurry back, Moirall," Florit called. "I'm ready to head out."

Both Shepard and Moirall then put as much distance from Florit as possible.

* * *

Shepard continue to wonder around the club wondering whether he will ever make contact with Morinth.

"My name is Morinth," said a voice. Shepard turned and saw an asari leaning against the wall and her skintone were similar to Samara. "I've been watching you. You're the most interesting person in this place. I've got a booth over there in the shadows. Why don't you come sit with me?"

Seconds later the two of them were at a booth sharing some drinks.

"Some might I come here and there is no one interesting to talk to," she said. "Some nights, there's just one person. Tonight, it's you. Why is that?"

Shepard shrugged. "You and I want the same things."

"Do we?" Morinth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You know anything about art?" Shepard asked.

"It speaks to the darkest places in me. What about you?"

"Do you know the artist Forta?" Shepard asked.

"I didn't think anyone around who knew him," she said pleasantly surprised. "He's sublime. Art comes in many variations. I've seen vids that were more powerful than a sculpture sitting in the gallery."

"Do you know Vaenia?" Shepard asked sipping a drink.

She smiled. "My favourite. The two actresses are so glamorous."

"I'll have to watch it," said Shepard taking another sip.

"We could do that together."

That was the reaction that Shepard was hoping for, he just needed her to a bit more interested in him. "What you think of the music here?"

"Dark rhythms, violent pulses," she said shuddering. "It stirs something primitive in me. What about you?"

"I'm curious about a band called Expel 10."

"They get into my head and tell it to pieces," she said taking a sip of her drink. "They're concert is soon; maybe we should go together. You can lose yourself in the music here. There are ways to enhance that. You know?"

"Would you think of Hallex?" Shepard asked.

"It's slithers through my soul," she said blissfully. "Seems like we share some interests."

He could tell that he was almost there, he just needed one more pull. "I've travelled all across the galaxy."

"It changes you, doesn't it?"

"Real travel means going to dangerous places," said Shepard in a dangerous like voice.

"Where you can see and do things most people can't imagine," Morinth nodded.

"Yes."

"When I travel, I find myself drawn to dark, dangerous places."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Violent places?"

"Violence is the surest experience of power."

"Violence is a means to an end. Power is that end," said Shepard in a forceful voice.

Morinth smiled at him. "Do you want to get out of here? My apartment is nearby, and I want you alone," she said seductively.

The two of them then made their leave and out of the corner of his eye he saw Samara hiding in the shadows. Now all he had to do was keep her busy long enough for Samara to show.

* * *

The moment they entered into Morinth compartment Shepard began to examine the place. Morinth commented on a few things in the room and eventually Shepard sat down on the couch next to her.

"I love clubs—people, movement, heat," she said with a smile. "I can still hear the bass, like the drums of a great hunt, out for your blood. But here, it's muted—and you're safe. Is that what you want, Shepard?"

"People feel safe right before they die," said Shepard.

Morinth nodded. "It's true, we're never safe. I have never understood the fascination with safety. Some of us choose differently." She then made her way over towards him and sat on his lap as she looked into his eyes. "Independence over submission. I think we share that, you and I."

"You compare us, but you're nowhere near my lead," said Shepard in a firmed voice.

"So strong," she smiled. "I need this." She then sat herself next to him and their eyes met. Her eyes suddenly went black and Shepard could feel her entering his mind. "Look into my eyes, and tell me you want me. Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want."

Shepard could definitely tell that she was more powerful than Liara, but he looked at her firmly. "I'm not the victim you were hoping for," he said.

Morinth's eyes returned to normal and she stared at him. "But you… who are you?" She then realised the truth. "Oh, no—I see what's going on. The bitch herself found a little help."

They then heard the sound of a door opening and turn to see Samara entering into the apartment with her biotics flaring.

"Morinth," said Samara before slamming her daughter into the window cracking the glass.

"Mother," said Morinth slightly winded.

"Do not call me that," said Samara pushing Morinth further into the window.

"I can't choose to stop being you daughter. Mother."

"You made your choice long ago."

"What choice?" Morinth then unleashed a powerful pulse that pushing Samara back freeing her. Samara floated up into the air as Morinth use her biotics to lift up the couch. "My only was being born with the gifts you gave me."

She then slammed the couch into Samara, who knocked it aside and causing her to lose her concentration and fell to the floor. Morinth then approached Samara with her biotics flaring.

"Enough, Morinth!" Samara yelled knocking her back with a biotic push.

The two of them quickly got back onto their feet and created a singularity that clashed with one another. Shepard waters are furniture floated around them is a power struggle between mother and daughter began.

"I am the genetic destiny of the asari," said Morinth. "But they are not ready to reveal this, so I must die."

"You are a disease to be purged, nothing more," said Samara.

Morinth looked at Shepard. "I am a strong she is—let me join you!"

"I am already worn to help you, Shepard," said Samara. "Let's us finish this."

Shepard looked at the two of them the choice between a ruthless bringer of justice or a dangerous serial killer. It was a no-brainer. He grabbed Morinth's arm and twisted it causing her singularity to collapse.

"End of the line, Morinth," said Shepard.

"And they call me a monster!" she glared.

Samara then slammed her back was with a biotic push. Sheppard then watched as Samara approached the fallen Morinth, who tried desperately to get away. However, Samara placed her hand over her throat and closed her eyes.

"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess," she said.

She then slammed a biotic fist right towards Morinth and Shepard looked away. When he looked back he saw purple glow on the floor and Samara moving away from the remains of Morinth as her biotics dissipated.

"I am ready to leave this place and get on with my life," said Samara. "Are you ready to go, as well?"

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard. What you want me to say? What can I say?" said Samara, her face on moving. "I just killed the bravest and the smartest of my daughters. There are no words. I will try another time. For now, show mercy on a broken old warrior and let us leave."

Shepard nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Rick was on his ship to hologram of Anderson.

"So no new leads?" Rick asked.

"As if there were any to begin with," Anderson sighed. "However, the Council have confirmed what we already know about the Collectors and they are deeply concerned. I think they might be starting to believe the presence of the Reapers."

"Because it's similar to how the geth turned our people to husks?" Rick asked.

"Exactly," Anderson nodded. "The timing is unusual to say the least and they wonder what caused the Protheans to undergo such dramatic changes."

"And the only theory they have those of the Reapers," Rick finished.

Anderson nodded. "I believe they're starting to believe that Shepard was right about the Reapers. However, it could already be too late and were having our hands full with the Collectors."

"So the Council is in a deadlock and they don't know what course of action to take," Rick surmised.

Anderson smiled. "It seems as if Shepard is not the only soldier with a keen diplomatic mind."

Rick shrugged. "Not every soldier shoots first and asks questions later. I'll let you know if I find anything on my end."

"Then I'll make my way back to damn bureaucracy."

Rick then saw the hologram faded and then made his way over to the bridge.


	25. The Price of Revenge

Shepard had waited a few hours to give Samara time to adjust to the events they have witnessed on Omega.

When he entered into her quarters Samara must have sensed his presence and broke her meditation. She then walked up to the window and looked out into the void.

"Morinth haunted my dreams and waking hours equally," she said. "For the first time in 400 years, I am free. I am a ruined vessel of sorrow and regret, but I am free." She then looked at Shepard. "It is not a feeling I can describe."

"Was it worth it?" Shepard asked.

"It was never a question of worth, but of need. I had to take the action I did. As did she. This was never a story that would have a happy outcome."

Shepard nodded and looked at her. "You did your duty. What about your feelings?"

"One of my daughters is dead. My hopes, my dreams were all bound up in my children. Still, my feelings have always come after my duty. The same is true of you."

Shepard couldn't argue with that, but still didn't feel right. "You said that Morinth was a monster. But she was still your daughter."

Samara nodded. "She was the strongest and smartest. She would not accept the injustice thrust upon her. She fought to the end. I am so proud her, Shepard."

Shepard found it surprising that Samara was proud of her serial killer daughter. "You killed a being what she was."

"And I would again. But I also know what it means to leave everything behind and fight." She then turned and looked out of the window. "Do you realise that she went on the run at the age of 40? I do not know human years well, but it's very young for asari."

"What will you do now that Morinth is gone?" Shepard asked.

"Assuming I survived your mission?" Samara turned and looked at him. "I am a justicar. Injustice still exists… and perhaps even other Ardat-Yakshi."

Shepard frowned. "I thought Ardat-Yaskshi were extremely rare?"

"Asari have spread to many worlds. There are remote regions with no government oversight. If I travel to those welds and they do exist, I will find them."

"There's no way to correct the condition Morinth had?" Shepard asked.

"We are and advanced species, but we don't have magic. When the trade manifests as maturity, it is too late for mitigation. It only occurs in pure bloods like myself. Perhaps that is the root of the stigma regarding asari-exclusive pairings." She shrugged. "I do not know."

"You don't want to settle down?" Shepard smiled.

"I did," Samara reminded. "I return to my homeworld and try to start a family." She then sat back down into a meditation position. "I will fight and struggle all my life. That is my fate. When I die, it will not be in bed. I am at peace with that."

Shepard looked at her. "You still control the direction of your life."

"I have chosen this path. I am truly am at peace." She then looked up at Shepard. "Due in no small part to you.

* * *

Shepard went to talk to Grunt and suddenly wished that he hadn't, because now he had the image of a krogan ripping the horns from a salarian. Even though he didn't get what Grunt saw in these images, the krogan still appreciate him checking up on him.

After that Shepard went to his quarters to lie down and then discovered that he got a message from Admiral Hackett. It appeared that he found the location of the Normandy's crash site and wished Shepard to retrieve the dog tags of all those who died aboard her.

* * *

No one on the ship needed convincing and soon they were over the planet Alchera. According to Hackett's email there were about 20 unaccountable crewmembers that in make it to the escape pods.

Shepard found what remained of the Normandy, remarkably some of it was still intact even despite the re-entry but it was frozen over with ice now. As he walked through the wreckage it brought back some memories and sometimes he felt the ghost of many others.

He found some remains of the crew and their dog tags were still intact. Shepard even found his old N7 helmet, how that got there was beyond his understanding. He also found the data pad that belonged to Pressley the data was mostly corrupted that he could make out a few words.

Once he was finished he made his way back to the shuttle and return to the Normandy. When he exited the shuttle he found Garrus and Tali waiting for him.

"Did you find it?" Tali asked.

"What's left of it," said Shepard. "At a surprise that the ship maintains so many pieces."

"Well, it was designed by the two most powerful warlike species are in the galaxy," said Garrus.

"You know I've always wondered which species was the strongest… turian or human?" said Tali.

"Has to be turian," said Garrus. "I mean our entire culture is military."

"And yet it was the turians who suffered the most casualties during the First Contact War," said Shepard.

"That was because that fleet underestimated your forces. He believed that was guarding Shanxi was the bulk of your forces. Now today we wouldn't underestimate you."

"True, but you turians aren't much out-of-the-box thinkers. I mean you can't deny that we have pulled some unorthodox strategies to defeat our opponents."

"How about we try not to relive the war between your species aboard a ship that both your species designed," Tali advised.

"You are the one that asked the question," Shepard reminded.

"Yeah, and I'm regretting ever to suggest such a thing."

* * *

Shepard then got a message from Dr Chakwas telling him that she had acquired some new medical equipment. Apparently the equipment will be able to get rid of his remaining scars and he had once jumped at the chance.

"How was that, Commander?" Dr Chakwas asked when the surgery was done.

Shepard looked at the mirror and saw that his stars were completely gone now. "Grateful to have my good looked back."

"I'm still amazed that Cerberus was able to repair all the damage you sustained from the Collectors," said Dr Chakwas. "From the reports that I receive and from the description for Miranda and Jacob your body with vastly beyond repair."

Shepard removed himself from the medical bed "I just wish it in take two years to fix me up."

"I expected it to take even longer than that," said Dr Chakwas. "I also expected you to have some sort of lingering pains or anything that would make you reliability."

"Miranda certainly knew what she was doing," said Shepard.

* * *

Shepard decided that it was best time to sort out Zaeed's problem so they made their way towards Zorya in the shuttle.

When they landed they saw facility on the far side of the jungle and saw smoke exiting out of it.

Zaeed then fiddled with his radio. "Tapping into the Blue Suns communications. Stay tight, and look up ambushes."

Shepard wondered how Zaeed could access Blue Suns communications. However before he could ask Zaeed was already making his way into deeper into the jungle.

Shepard looked at the others. "We better follow him."

They don't get too far when they heard a man's voice on the radio. "Squad Bravo, a shuttle landing near your location. Check it out."

Zaeed smiled. "Here we go. Keep close."

They carried on and eventually found some dead bodies.

"Shot in the back and left to rot," Zaeed grumbled. "That's definitely Vido's style. Let's push ahead."

They soon reached a bridge of some sort and were attacked by Blue Suns mercenaries. However, Shepard and the others lay down covering fire he noticed that Zaeed was given instructions that recounted the Blue Suns tactics.

Either he coordinated fights against them for a long time or he had been one of them and knew this Vido's tactics and strategies. Though at the moment it was very hard to tell which it was especially when they were under fire.

Samara used her biotics to push the mercenary back and Kasumi used herself tacked to sneak behind their ranks and the from behind. Garrus and Shepard use their sniper rifles to pick up the leaders while Tali distracted them with the drone.

They then made their way towards the bridge and Shepard access the controls.

"This is Commander Santiag," said Vido's voice. "If any of you retreat while the intruders are still alive, I'll kill you myself. Now, get the hell back out there!"

"Vido. Sounds like he hasn't changed," said Zaeed angrily.

Shepard looked at Zaeed. "I get the feeling that you have a past with this Vido."

"I knew he was a sadistic bastard back when we started the Blue Suns," said Zaeed clenching his fist. "The Suns only got meaner after he staged his little coup twenty years ago. So, yeah. We have a past."

Shepard and the others stared at him. "Why didn't anyone tell me you founded the Blue Suns?" Shepard stared.

"Because it's not common knowledge. Vido wiped me out of the records. He ran the books, I led the men. Working real well for a while. Then Vido decided to start hiring batarians. Cheaper labour, he said. Goddamn terrorists, I said."

Shepard folded his arms. "Twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge."

Zaeed marched up to him and glared at him. "A grudge? Vido turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. For twenty years, I've seen that bastard every time I close my eyes. Every time I sighted down on a target. Every time I heard a gunshot. Don't you call that a goddamned 'grudge."

Shepard stared at him. "You survived a gunshot to the head?"

"Yeah." Zaeed nodded. "And you survive your ship getting disintegrated. A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. Rage is a hell of an anaesthetic."

"We'd better get moving."

They then made their way across the bridge and then heard Vido's voice over the radio. "They're at the southern access. All squads mass at the gatehouse! Now!"

"They know we're here," said Zaeed.

"But they don't know who they're up against," said Shepard.

* * *

They made their way closer towards the facility and they met no resistance clearly all of Vido's men had followed their lead is ordered to the letter. They soon entered into the complex and Vido looked down at them from a balcony. Then several Blue Sun mercenaries aimed their rifles at them.

"Zaeed Massani," said Vido with a small smile on his face. "You finally tracked me down."

Zaeed's hand went to his rifle. "Vido."

"Don't be stupid, Zaeed," said Vido. "I have a whole company of bloodthirsty bastards behind me, ready to kill or be killed on my command."

Zaeed then saw the corner of his eye a gas vent. He then looked back at Vido still glaring at him.

"Actually, take your shot," Vido smirked. "Give my men a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again."

Zaeed then pulled out his rifle and fired while making a break for cover and Shepard and the others did the same. His shots missed the mercenaries, but struck the gas vent causing gas to be leaked out.

"What was that?" Vido sneered. "Gone nearsighted, old friend?"

"Burn, you son of a bitch," Zaeed snarled and fired his rifle.

The bullet struck the gas and suddenly there was an explosion. Vido and his mercenaries were caught in the explosion as flames shot up in all different directions.

Vido had managed to avoid the flames by ducking down in time. He leaned over the balcony and glared down at Zaeed. "You just signed your death warrant, Massani!"

He then limped away while his men provided cover fire from the balcony. Shepard then saw Zaeed slamming his rifle against the gas vent.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shepard yelled.

Gas began to leak out as the bullets from the mercenaries fired then ignite of the gases. It then cause an explosion that knocked them off the balcony.

"Opening the gate," said Zaeed.

"We're here to free these people," Shepard glared marching up to him. "Why the hell would you blow the refinery?"

Zaeed glared back. "I came here to kill Vido Santiago. You want my help on your mission, you better make damn sure that man dies today."

Explosions were heard all crossed the refinery. "This isn't the time. We'll discuss this later."

"Once Vido's dead, we can discuss anything you want."

* * *

They made their way through the refinery, but Shepard was absolutely furious as they cut their way through the remaining mercenaries. Zaeed was letting revenge take control and it would endanger the mission if he didn't do something.

As they made their way through the finally more explosions appeared every turn and the facility looked as if it was going to fall to pieces. They soon reached the door and were about to enter inside when they heard voices crying out above them.

"Help! We're trapped!" a worker yelled the walkway above them. "We can't get to the gas valves to shut them off! The whole place is going to blow!"

"No time," said Zaeed. "Vido's probably halfway to the shuttle docks by now."

Shepard narrowed his eyes at him. "You're willing to watch these people die?"

Zaeed narrowed his eyes at him. "Damn right I am. We start to help these people, and Vido gets away. And if he gets away, I'm blaming you."

Shepard grabbed the helm of his arm and pulled him towards him. "We're here to free these people. We're going in."

"I knew this was a mistake," Zaeed grumbled. "If we're gonna do this, we'd better get to it."

They soon jumped over the walkway made their way to the maintenance walkway towards the facility.

* * *

They entered the facility and found the place for radically inflames. The workers were trapped in a chamber that was filling with smoke. Shepard had to shut up some gas valves to get the extinguishers and fortunately he was able to get there in time to douse the flames.

"Now we can go after Vido," said Shepard.

"You better hope that he's still there," said Zaeed and marched off.

Kasumi looked at Shepard. "He really hates the guy."

"Our mission is too important for petty revenge," said Shepard.

"Are you going to tell him that?" Garrus asked.

* * *

They made their way through the facility following the route that Vido had took to the hangar docks.

"First person to bring me Massni's head get something special in their paycheck!" said Vido over the radio.

They were soon engaged by Blue Suns mercenaries. Shepard had to admire their loyalty, but yet a pity this stupidity.

"You brought Shepard with you, and you still don't have a chance!" said Vido. "I took your Blue Suns. I took your life. And now I'm taking it again. Take a knee now, Zaeed, and maybe I'll forget this ever happened!"

Zaeed looked up and saw fuelling tanks been moved above them and he noticed that they were loose. "That fuel tank's coming loose. Shoot it! Bring it down on top of 'em!"

Shepard shot at the fuelling tank and it fell on a squad of Blue Suns. Clearly they were desperate, because they sent heavy mechs towards them. Shepard waited until they were in position and then shot the final fuel tank on top of them.

It didn't destroy them, but it did take out their shields and did massive damage to their armour. Shepard and the others then poured on their barrage of bullets and eventually the mechs went down.

* * *

They soon reached the hangar docks and saw Vido boarding a gunship. Seconds later the gunship began to take off.

"Not this time, Zaeed, you son of a bitch!" Vido sneered. "See you on another twenty years!"

In rage Zaeed fired his rifle pounding the gunship, but he ran out of ammo. They watched as the gunship went over the ridge vanished. Zaeed shook his rifle in the thermal clip exited, still white hot, and landed next to some fuel.

Zaeed then turned and pointed his rifle at Shepard, who in turn pointed his pistol at him. "You just cost me twenty years of my life!"

Suddenly the thermal clip ignited the fuel and it created a trail of fire towards the fuel tank. Seconds later there was an explosion, Shepard managed to jump out of the way, but Zaeed got pinned down by a beam.

"Son of a bitch! Argh!" he yelled.

"Zaeed! You all right?" Shepard asked.

"'The hell do you care? I'm fine," he grunted. He then tried to move the beam, but it proved too heavy for him. "Now come on. Get me out of this shithole."

"I'm not sure I need a man like you on my ship," said Shepard kneeling down towards him.

"If you didn't need me, Cerberus wouldn't have paid my fee," Zaeed glared. "I'll do what I was paid to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Now stop screwing around! Let's go!"

"You put your own goals ahead of the mission," Shepard pointed out. "That's not the way this works."

"I've survived long enough watching my own back. No time to worry about anyone else."

Shepard then pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Zaeed's head. "You're part of a team now, Zaeed." He then lowered his pistol. "There's no way we can do this unless we're all working together."

"You… you have a point," Zaeed said reluctantly. Shepard then removed the beam and help Zaeed up. "I'm not done with Vido, but I can put that behind me long enough to get your mission done. Let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

Rick was in his quarters looking at the picture itself, his uncle and his two cousins. He knew that the three of them would be leaving in a few months' time and he would never see them again.

Ashley then entered into his quarters with a datapad in our hands. "Sir, have just finished my report on our last mission."

Rick sighed. "You don't have to go all formal me, Ash."

"I have to show you the proper respect that you deserve, sir," said Ashley. She then noticed the picture on his desk. "Family?"

"Yes my uncle Alec and my two cousins Scott and Sara," Rick smiled. "You know it was my uncle that inspired me to join the Alliance."

"What happened to your parents?" Ashley frowned.

Rick closes eyes. "Shanxi."

"You mean the First Contact War," said Ashley slowly.

Rick nodded. "I barely remember them, but I never let it control me. If I did I might have ended up just like Saren."

Ashley nodded and handed him her report. "I'm glad you say with the Alliance, Rick."

Rick smiled. "I'm glad to Ash."


	26. Lair of the Shadow Broker

Shepard went to see Samara, who was busy meditating.

"Shepard," she said.

"I wanted to check in."

"I'm always happy to talk with you."

"I'm interested in hearing more about asari justicars."

Samara broke her concentration and gestured for Shepard since down next to her. Shepard sat down on the floor next to her and the two of them looked out into the void.

"We hold a unique place in asari culture," she said. "Justicars are from another era. Young asari grew up watching vids about our adventures. Pure fiction, of course. Some asari are uncomfortable with us, but so few justicars exist that most have never met one."

Shepard looked at her. "There are only a few justicars?"

"Few asari wish to make the sacrifice necessary to become one of us. And the training has a high casualty rate. It is a life of constant danger. Throughout the entire galaxy, there are only a handful of us at the time."

"Why would anyone want to become a justicar?"

Samara looked down at the floor. "It is a deeply personal matter. Sometimes the most brutal path is the only honest one."

"This Code of the Justicar seem centre to your life," Shepard noted.

"It is five thousand sutras, and covers every situation one could encounter. I have memorise every word. There is only the Code."

Shepard frowned. "Sometimes justice calls for mercy."

Samara turned on him. "It is not exist to bring about spiritual enlightenment. Its purpose is to punish the wicked and protect the innocent."

"What role do you think justicars have in asari society?" Shepard asked curiously.

Samara smiled at him. "I would say that the closest human equivalent as a knight errant, in your mediaeval lore. Perhaps mixed with a bit of Samurai."

Shepard blinked. "You know about knights errant and Samurai?"

"When I knew I must leave asari space again, I studied the history and morals of new species. When I was made and wandering the galaxy, humans had not yet arrived."

"What did your studies tell you about us?" Shepard asked curiously.

Samara smiled at him. "You are more individualistic than any other species I have encountered. If three humans are in a room, they will be six opinions. I like your species; I am curious to see what you will do."

"I should go," said Shepard getting to his feet.

"I'm glad we spoke," said Samara as she re-entered her trance.

* * *

Shepard then checked on Mordin.

"Have you got a minute to talk?" Shepard asked.

"Actually wanted to talk," said Mordin walking away from his lab table. "Medical matters. Aware mission is dangerous. Different species react differently to stress. Aware you come by a great deal. Have other species become attracted to me before. Awkward. Not interested."

Shepard try not to laugh. "You had members of other species make up a pass at you?"

"Constantly," Mordin groaned. "Very awkward. Skin-tone apparently attractive by turian standards. Subset of krogan sexual deviants enjoy salarian flexibility. More cartilage in skeleton structure. Asari offers intriguing, actually. Wonder why. Transspecies pheromones unlikely to work. Must be neurochemical."

Shepard shook his head. "Wait a minute, Mordin. You're just yanking me around, aren't you?"

"Shocking suggestion!" said Mordin. "Doctor-patient confidentiality a sacred trust. Would never dream of mockery." Shepard raised an eyebrow, because Mordin was oppressing a big smile on his face. "Enjoy yourself while possible, Shepard. Will be here, studying cell reproduction. Much simpler. Less alcohol and mood music required."

* * *

Shepard message from Cerberus informing him that they had information on the Shadow Broker. Shepard knew that Liara was still on the hunt for him or she so he decided to make a course straight to Illium.

Liara was surprised to see him when he entered into her office. "Shepard! It's good to see you again. So, what can I do for you?"

Shepard sat down in the chair. "I know you're looking for the Shadow Broker. Cerberus gave me data on where to find him. Interested?"

Liara looked ecstatic. "Absolutely! I had no idea… Let's me see what you've got!"

Shepard handed her an OSD and she downloaded the data onto her datapad. "It looks like transmission between Shadow Broker operatives. Some hits us to locate, and…" She stopped when her eyes fell upon an image of a drell. "It's about Feron. He's still alive."

Shepard looked up. "Your friend? The one who helped recover my body from the Shadow Broker?"

"The same." She nodded. "He sacrificed himself to save me. I'd never found anything suggesting he was alive. After two years, I haven't been dreaming…"

"Sounds like you and Feron were close," Shepard noted.

"It's funny. He betrayed me more than once. He was double-dealing for Cerberus, for the Shadow Broker… But in the end, he sacrificed himself for me. I owe him."

Considering that Feron saved him from the Collectors, Shepard felt that he owed him as well. "Anything of yours is a friend of mine. What's the next step?"

"I… I don't know." Liara looked dazed from this realisation. "I need to prepare, to think. I'm going home. Use my terminal if you need any local intel."

"You okay?" Shepard frowned.

"I've spent two years plotting revenge," said Liara as she walked away. "Now I have a chance to make it a rescue."

"Let me help. I'll come by your apartment?"

Liara nodded. "Okay. Hopefully I'll have a plan by then. Thank you, Shepard."

* * *

Shepard went to the store's advice more equipment now that yet more credits. After which he, Garrus and Tali went to Liara's apartment.

However, when they arrived they found it a crime scene. Security officers were looking around and scanning everything within the apartment.

"Seal off those trace samples and get them back to the lab," said an asari officer.

"We've got multiple shots fired," said an asari cop as she scanned the couch. "Yeah, techs are going over the place now."

"Centre, we got an open carrier on this end," said a turian cop. "Switching to coded relay."

"What's going on?" Shepard asked.

The officer turned towards them. "This area is sealed off. Please step back, sir."

"Sealed off? Why?"

"Someone tried to kill your friend, Commander Shepard," said a voice.

Shepard turned and saw an asari making her way carefully down the stairs. Shepard noted that she wasn't a cop, judging by her armour. She also had better weapons on her person.

The asari looked at the cops. "Thank you, officer. Your people are dismissed."

Shepard and his companions walked across the line much to the offices anger. "You can't do that!"

"Already done."

The officer looked furious, but in question the asari's orders. She and the rest of her people then left the apartment and Shepard made his way over towards the asari.

"Tela Vasir," she said. "Special Tactics and Recon."

Now it all made sense. "A Spectre?"

She smiled. "I heard your status was reinstated. Good. You're one of our most famous operatives. Might even get you to sign my chest plate." She then looked at him business-like. "So I assume you had business with your friend this evening, Commander?"

Shepard nodded. "Liara was following a lead on the Shadow Broker."

Vasir looked up. "The Shadow Broker? Dangerous enemy to have."

"What are the facts so far?" Shepard asked.

"About 25 minutes ago, someone took a shot at T'Soni." She then gestured to the bullet holes in the glass. "Note the bullet holes. She stuck around for almost four minutes before leaving the building. Whatever she was doing was important."

"If Liara isn't here, where is she?" Shepard asked worriedly.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be shifting through her crap. There's no blood, no body. It looks like T'Soni got away. The sniper didn't plan on her kinetic barriers. Clever girl. Paranoid, but clever."

"Liara was expecting me. He would have left a message here—her office wasn't safe."

Vasir nodded. "I'm not surprised. Illium is just Omega with expensive shoes." She folded her arms. "I haven't found anything useful for tracking her down yet. You knew T'Soni better than I do. Where would she have hidden her backups?"

"Let me take a look around."

Liara's apartment was full of Prothean artefacts, no doubt stuff she did double her digs. Shepard even found in picture of Ilos on her wall. He made his way upstairs and saw a picture of the old Normandy on the bed stand. He picked it up and once the image changed to a Prothean dig site.

"The picture changed when you touched it," said Vasir leaning over Shepard shoulder. "It must be key to your ID. What does it show now?"

"It's a Prothean dig site," said Shepard placing the picture back down on bed stand. "Liara did leave a message."

"There are a few Prothean-looking objects around the apartment. Let's see what we can find."

Shepard looked at the Prothean artefacts one by one, but when he searched the one that stood next to the staircase slot opened with backup disk inside.

"Vasir, I've got something here," said Shepard.

Vasir walked over noted the backup disk and Shepard's hand. "Backup disk. Let's try it on her terminal."

Shepard inserted the backup disk into Liara's terminal and at once the image of a salarian appeared.

"It looks like she recorded a call," Vasir noted.

"What have you got for me, Sekat?" Liara's voice asked.

"It was tricky, but you paid for the best," said Sekat. "I can narrow it down to a cluster, maybe even a system."

"How soon can you have it?"

"Shouldn't take long. Common like my office. Baria Frontiers, in Dracon Trade Centre. Gotta sat though, T'Soni—you're making me a little nervous. How big is the trouble that could come out of this?"

"Relax, Sekat. I'll see you in a few hours."

The recording ended there.

Shepard then looked at Vasir. "This must be important. The Shadow Broker's people already tried to kill once."

"I know where the Dracon Trade Centre is," said Vasir. "My car's outside."

"Let's go."

* * *

Soon they were all in Vasir's skycar and were approaching Dracon Trade Centre. They parked of the parking lot and made their way towards the building.

"The Dracon Trade Centre offices are located on the third floor," said Vasir. "I don't hear police chatter; we must have missed the party."

Suddenly there was a huge explosion from the top floor on the building.

"Liara's in there!" Shepard yelled.

Suddenly there was another explosion and this one was so powerful that both Shepard and Vasir were not backwards. Garrus and Tali rushed over to them and help them up.

"Keelah," said Tali as she looked at the devastation front of them.

People were either injured or dead from the explosion or fallen rubble. Shephard couldn't believe that it was a coincidence that the building that Liara was in exploded on its own.

"They just took out three floors to make sure she's dead!" said Vasir. "I'll grab the skycar and seal off the building from the top!"

"I'll start down here and work my way up," said Shepard.

Vasir sat down in her skycar. "Just leave some for me."

Vasir then closed the door and loo up towards the building.

* * *

Shepard and the others began to investigate the lower levels of the building. Shepard was amazed at the building was still standing no doubt whoever planted the bomb knew what they were doing.

Shepard tried activate the elevator, but it was sat down. "Vasir—elevator are out, and the building security is down."

"No alarms, no police. Very professional," said Vasir over the radio.

They soon reached the second floor and found more bodies. However, some of them were killed during the explosion. One of the employees mentioned someone telling everyone and setting bombs before he died due to blood loss.

"Casualty, here," said Shepard examining the employee. "Looks like he's got bullet wounds. What yourself, Vasir. They used military-grade hardware."

"Bullet wounds?" said Vasir's voice. "Guess this was more than just an explosion."

Shepard examined the room and then found a boom.

"Vasir, I found a military-grade explosive device. It hasn't been armed."

"Sloppy work. You use that kind of hardware when you don't have time to plan."

"Clearly they were in a hurry," said Garrus. He then looked down at the dead bodies that littered the place. "And again want any witnesses."

"I must've got wind that Liara was coming here," said Shepard.

"But how?" Tali frowned.

"Were dealing with the Shadow Broker, he's got agents everywhere," said Shepard.

"Let's hope that Liara is still alive," said Garrus.

Shepard then access the logs and saw Liara's name right at the top. "Vasir, I'm at Baria Frontiers office. Liara signed in just a few minutes ago."

They didn't get very far when they were suddenly attacked by a strange group of mercenaries. Shepard didn't recognise their armour so they want the most well-known mercenaries and most likely someone's private army.

One of them flew a flash grenade that blinded them for split second. Fortunately, they were close enough to cover to hide behind it before the merc shot at them.

"Vasir! I'm pinned down! Mercs—and they're well-armed!" Shepard yelled as he fired back at them.

"Say hello to the Shadow Broker's private army, Commander!"

They were certainly formidable well-trained and well equipped fortunately Shepard had fought against such odds before. Garrus took other leaders with his sniper rifle while Shepard provided cover and Tali use her drone to distract them.

They made their way towards the third floor, but they were blocked by damaged pipes on fire. Shepard has activate the fire suppression systems and were once again attacked by the Shadow Broker's mercenaries.

Suddenly they heard gunfire from behind one of the doors and opened it to find Vasir standing over a dead mercenary's body and slumped against the wall was a dead salarian.

"Damn it," said Vasir as she hosted her pistol. "If I'd been a few seconds faster, I could've stopped them."

"Is this Sekat?" Shepard asked looking at the dead salarian.

Vasir turned her back on Shepard. "Must have been."

Shepard searched his body, but found nothing. "No sign of that data Liara talked about. Looks like a dead end," he said turning to look at her.

"Speaking of which, did you find your friend's body?" Vasir asked.

"You mean this body?" said a voice.

They all turned and found Liara standing at the doorway with a pistol in her hand. She pointed the pistol directly at Vasir.

Shepard looked at her and then to Vasir. "Liara! Something I should know?"

Liara moved closer towards Vasir. "This is the woman who tried to kill me."

"You've had a rough day, so I'll let that slide," said Vasir as she slowly backed away. "Why don't you put that gun down?"

Liara narrowed her eyes. "I saw you! I doubled back after I left. I watched you break into my apartment!"

"You didn't know where Liara went, because she had the message. You needed me to find it for you," said Shepard as he and the others pointed their pistols at her.

Vasir shrugged. "Thanks for the help."

"Once she had my location, she signalled the Shadow Broker's forces," Liara explained. "They bombed the building to take me out. She found Sekat, took his data, and kill him. I'm guessing she's still got the disk on her."

"Good guess," said Vasir holding out a data disk. "Not that you'll ever see what's on it…" She then flared her biotics in one hand which she hid behind her back and shatter the glass behind her. "… you pureblood bitch."

She then tossed the broken glass straight at them, but Liara created a barrier around them shielding them. Vasir then made a run was the window and Shepard tackled her causing the two of them to smash through the window.

Vasir had flared her biotics are the two of them were floating down gently towards the ground, but she was able to push Shepard away and he landed hard on the ground. She then floated and land on the ground and approach Shepard with the intent to finish him off.

However, Liara jumped out of the window with her biotics flaring. Vasir then decided to make a run for it and Liara followed her the moment she touched the ground. Garrus and Tali looked out the window, but they knew they could make that jump so they ran back downstairs.

Liara continue to chase after Vasir she quickly turned the corner. Two mercs then appeared aiming their weapons at Liara, but used her biotics to push one backwards and tossed the second one aside as she ran past.

At this point Shepard regained consciousness and Garrus and Tali ran to his side. Suddenly the elevator door opened and mercs poured out and began shooting at them.

"Now the elevator works," Shepard grumbled.

"Vasir must have have to control the moment she landed on the roof," said Garrus as he shot a mech down with his sniper rifle.

"Looks like were hunting down another rogue Spectre," said Tali taking out two mercs with her shotgun.

"We need to catch up with Liara and get that data," said Shepard as he fired his pistol.

Once the mercs were finished they rushed outside and found Liara and Vasir shooting at one another. Vasir saw Shepard and the others running out of the building and activated her omni-tool.

Her skycar then flew down towards them opening its doors under the parking lot. Vasir then ran and jumped over the edge of the parking lot and landed in her car before flying off.

"Damn it!" Liara yelled.

Liara the made her way to a sky taxi and hacked the controls opening the doors.

"I'm fine by the way. Thanks for asking," said Shepard sitting down at the driver's seat.

Garrus and Tali sat behind them. Shepard closed the doors and took off after Vasir.

"Come on! She's getting away!" said Liara impatiently.

"I'm on it," said Shepard.

* * *

"There she is!" Liara pointed as Vasir's car came into view. "Hang a right! No, wait, left!"

"I'm on her," said Shepard. The one thing he hated was a front seat driver.

Vasir was certainly simply as she zigzagged across the traffic and making sharp turns pass buildings. She then entered into a construction zone.

"We're not going into the construction site, are—oh, goddess," Liara moaned.

"Hold on!" Shepard yelled as they flew under a crane.

Vasir turned her car to its side to go through a set of beams and Shepard followed her much to Liara's dismay. They then went down the wrong way of a plaza heading into traffic. In fact began to remind Shepard of those old science-fiction films that were made in the late twentieth century.

Vasir then rushed past a truck that was parking in a docking area.

"Go go go go go go go!" Liara yelled.

"I'm going!" Shepard yelled as he flew under the truck.

They then entered into oncoming traffic.

"Traffic! Oncoming traffic!"

"We'll be fine!"

Vasir appeared to be growing impatient as she began setting proximity charges as a car.

"She's dropping proximity charges!" Liara warned.

"I noticed!"

Once they pass a few more trucks several gunships appeared and firing at them.

"She's got reinforcements!" Liara yelled.

"What kind of guns does this thing have?" Shepard asked.

Liara turned to him. "It's a taxi! It had a fare meter!"

They soon entered into the tunnel and when they turn round the corner they saw truck breaking as Vasir drove past it. The truck was skidding towards them at an alarming rate.

"Track!" Liara yelled.

"I know," said Shepard turn furiously.

"Truck!"

"I know!"

Suddenly a small truck slammed into the truck causing a small explosion, but Shepard was able to move to the corner just in time and continue to chase after Vasir.

"Yaaa!" Liara gasped as they were almost struck by a smaller truck that was flicked into the air.

"There we go!" said Shepard driving past it as if it was nothing.

Liara glared at him. "You're enjoying this"

Shepard merely shrugged she knew the chase after Vasir. A trap then zoomed past them struck a building, bounced off slammed into another truck and then into another before bowing down to the ground at about 60 feet.

"A head-on collision at this speed…"

"Yeah, I hear that can be bad for you."

They soon drove head-on at the traffic and another truck slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision with Vasir.

"Truck!" Liara yelled.

"Again?" Shepard groaned.

Shepard managed to pull up and skidded across the track just like Vasir. They were now gaining on her and appeared that she was now desperate.

"Watch out!" Liara yelled.

Shepard soon flew side-by-side with her and they could see from the window that she was narrowing her eyes at them. Vasir then slammed her car into theirs straight in the path of the second car.

Shepard quickly turned the main avoided the car by inches and then slammed into her again. They will they continue to repeat this pattern again and again, but Shepard finally caught off guard and she collided with another car.

Smoke was shooting out of the exhaust as she headed straight towards hotel and landed hard on a balcony. Shepard then drove the car towards the hotel and he could see that she had survived the crash albeit heavily injured.

A security mech made its way towards her, but he shot at it and it fell. She they can see that Shepard and the others were landing not too far way.

She reached for radio. "I've crashed on Azure! Get me some damn backup!"

* * *

Shepard landed the skycar in the car park, but bidding get very far when the Shadow Broker's mercs survived.

"Watch out!" said Liara. "They're dropping reinforcements to slow us down!" They soon landed at the door blocking their path. "They've landed at the door!"

"Their mistake," said Shepard pulling out his rifle.

Fighting alongside Liara felt good and it made things easier when she floated their enemies into a perfect path with their bullets. Liara formed a singularity causing the marks to float having to be a force Sheppard to shoot them down. Some of the mercs unleashed a drone to distract them, but Tali took care of them and used her own drones to take down the mercs. Garrus found the perfect position began taking them out one by one with his sniper rifle.

They continue this progress until no more reinforcement showed up. They then made their way into the hotel's room and found several destroyed mechs and found the owners cowering in the corner.

Shepard then noticed a vid with several asari dancers performing very seductive dances. Shepard looked at Liara. "What kind of hotel is this?"

"Azure. It's a luxury resort with an… exotic edge," Liara explained. Shepard has a very good idea what the exotic edge was. "'Azure' is a slang for a part of the asari body in some areas of Illium."

"Where?"

Liara shrugged. "Mainly the low reaches, near the bottom."

"I meant, 'Where on the asari body?'"

"So did I."

Shepard decided to carry on the search for Vasir at that point.

* * *

They made their way onto the balcony and the crashed skycar, but there was no sign of Vasir's body. However, there was a trail purple blood moving away from the burning wreck.

"The blood trail," said Vasir. "Vasir got hurt in the crash."

"That should slow her down," said Shepard.

They followed the blood trail away from the hotel room and Shepard was amazed how Vasir would still be alive even after losing so much blood.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Liara noted. "We have to be getting close."

Shepard nodded. "She's tough, I'll give her that much."

"She's a Spectre."

They could hear screaming not too far way and had a good feeling who was causing it. They entered into another hotel room and found several destroyed mechs and dead guards.

They follow the blood trail that led to a balcony overlooking a restaurant. They looked over the edge and saw Vasir limping away while blood pulled out a chest. They made their way down into the restaurant.

"Vasir! It's over!" said Liara as she and Shepard pointed their pistols at her.

Vasir stopped and limped over towards a woman. "Hey! Hey, you. Come here. What's your name?"

She then used her biotics and forced the woman into her arms and used as a human shield. She pointed the pistol at Shepard and Liara and people began to scream.

"M-Mariana," said the woman nervously.

"Mariana, you want to live, don't you? Tell these people that you want to live."

Mariana gave a pleading look towards Shepard. "Please…"

"We'll get you out of here safely, Mariana," Shepard assured.

"Well, that's good to hear," said Vasir. "All you do was walk away." She then pointed the pistol at Mariana's head. "Now it gets ugly."

"Please. I have a son," Mariana begged.

"A son? I hope he gets to see you again. I've heard losing a parent is just horrific for child. Scars them for life."

Liara glared at her. "I'm going to end you, Vasir."

"It's okay, Liara. We'll handle it." Shepard then winked at her. "The usual way."

"You want Mariana's little boy to go up without a mummy, Shepard?" Vasir taunted. "Thermal clips on the ground, now. Power cells, too."

Shepard shook his head. "Is that it?"

Vasir blinked. "What?"

"Vasir, I sacrifice hundreds of human lives to save the Destiny Ascension. I unleashed the rachni on the galaxy. So for your sake, I hope you escape plan doesn't hinge on me hesitate to shoot a damn hostage!"

Vasir pointed her pistol at Shepard. "You're bluffing."

Now that Vasir's attention was on Shepard, Liara use her biotics to float the table behind her.

"Now, Liara."

Vasir realised too late and turned just in time to see the table slam into her. She was sent flying and landed in a pool. However, seconds later she emerged the water looking furious as her biotics flared.

Vasir suddenly put on a great find despite her injuries, she created a biotic barrier around her to protect her and used her biotics to jump around. Also whenever they were close to finishing her arm she vanished briefly and had the Shadow Broker's mercenary is to attack them while she healed up.

This time the mercenaries had bought several rocket drones with them, but Tali was able to hack them and use them against the mechs while Garrus took down the leaders. Once they were all dead Vasir returned now fully healed.

Vasir was certainly powerful biotic, but her skills were perfectly matched against Liara. They stared to gang up on her and her biotics jumps were starting to take their toll. Shepard used his disruptor ammo to break through the biotic barrier and Garrus fired a few perfect shots that took out her armour.

Tali's drone struck her in the bag knocking her down and Liara user biotics to slam against the wall. Shepard then fired several rounds in her chest and she toppled over completely exhausted.

"Ugh. Damn it! Damn it," she groaned clutching her chest.

Liara approached her and took the data disk from her. She then accessed it with her omni-tool.

"Sekat's personal datapad," she said the Shepard. "This has what we need to find a Shadow Broker."

"You're dead," Vasir glared. "The Shadow Broker has been in power for decades. He's stronger than anything you've ever faced!"

Shepard narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that why you sold out the Council to work for him?"

"You think I'd betray the Council? Like Saren? Go to hell!" Shepard turned around and walked up to her. "The Broker's given me damn good intel over the years. Intel that save lives and kept the Citadel safe! So if the Broker needs a few people to disappear, I'll pay that price without hesitation!"

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "Spectres don't blow up buildings filled with innocent people!"

"Sure we do. We get our hands dirty to the Council doesn't have to. The councillors might complain about our methods to soothe their consciences, but they never look too closely." She narrowed her eyes at Shepard. "Besides, you're with Cerberus. You have any idea what your terrorist friends have done?"

"I know who they are and what they've done. It doesn't matter."

"I think it does. You want to judge me? Look in the mirror. Kidnapping kids for biotic death camps! Killing Alliance admirals who ask questions! And you're with them. Don't you do judge me! Don't you…"

Though it were the last words Vasir said. Shepard to admit that he had a point, but the Broker was working for the Collectors who worked for the Reapers. Besides he wasn't officially part of Cerberus they were only funding his mission, he still calls the shots.

Shepard then met up with Liara, who was going through the data from Sketa's data disk.

"Eliminate T'Soni and retrieve the data," said a voice, who Shepard assumed to be the Shadow Broker. "Civilian casualties not a concern."

"Vasir's dead," said Shepard.

"I'm putting the data through to the Normandy's computers. We can be at the Shadow Broker's base in a few hours." Then began to walk away towards the parking lot. "He'll know about Vasir before long. If he decides to kill Feron…"

Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get Feron out of there alive, Liara. I promise."

"I know." Liara nodded and looked at him. "You're here to help. Just like always."

"That's not a good thing?"

"When we first met on Therum, you saved me from the geth. You fought a krogan battlemaster while I cowered. Now you're doing it again. And I'm still leaning on you for help."

"That's what friends do, Liara."

Liara looked at him and continue to walk towards the parking lot. "I can get us there, based on Sekat's data. The Normandy's stealth drive will keep them from detecting us. The Shadow Broker's agents are still shooting their way through Illium. With luck, they won't notice we've left until it's too late."

"That a little cold," said Shepard. "They killed innocent people."

Liara looked at him. "You know what I mean."

"Do I?" Shepard asked crossing his arms. "When I hit the ground back at the trade centre, you went after Vasir without a backward look."

"A little fall wasn't going to kill you." She then turned and leaned over the balcony. "I had to stay on Vasir. I had to stay rational, make the call. Like I did with Sekat."

Shepard leaned over the balcony next to her. "That's Vasir's fault, not yours."

"Sekat had no idea what the stakes were. I put him in harm's way to get the data I needed. I got killed. And I'll do it again. But from here on out, things will be simple. Get in, get Feron, get out." They then resumed their war towards the parking lot. "And kill anyone who tries to stop us."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Shepard then grabbed her arm. "Will you just stop for a second? We'll be jumping several light-years. This time to talk."

"About what?"

"You haven't been the same since I came back, Liara."

"What you want me to say, Shepard? That I mourned you? But I feel guilty because Feron got captured? I made mistakes. I lost people. I helped get you back, and I want to do the same for Feron! I'll sit and talk once he's safe. Until then, enjoying the scenery is an insult to the man who saved both of us."

Shepard nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

* * *

Using the information Liara provided they soon approached the planet where the Shadow Broker was supposed to be located. Shepard, Liara, Garrus and Tali ordered a shuttle towards the planet and it was a very hostile planet that that.

They soon approached a ship that just floated in here as lightning struck all around them. It was possibly the biggest ship that Shepard had ever seen the only other closer tender have to be Sovereign.

"Hagalaz," said Liara. "The oceans boil during the day, then snap-freeze ten minutes after sundown."

"The Shadow Broker lives in this?" Shepard stared.

"His ship follows the sunset. Completely undetected in the storm, unless you know where to look."

"How do we get inside?"

"The shuttle bay is locked down. We'll have to land on the ship and hunt for a hatch." He then placed on their helmets and breathers, minus Tali. "But we can't stay outside for long. There's a constant lightning storm where the hot and cold air collide.

They landed on the very nose of the ship and jumped off the shuttle. The wind was so tough that they had to use magboots so they wouldn't be blown away. The shuttle then flew away as quickly as it appeared.

They made their way across the hull and were actually attacked by maintenance drones. Apparently they believe that they were debris from the storm. Fortunately they were quite easy to deal with.

They kept on pressing forward centre they saw lightning struck in some sort of rods.

"Careful!" Liara warned. "Those capacitors discharge built-up lightning."

"Thanks for the tip," said Shepard.

They were soon attacked by the Shadow Broker's mercs, but under Liara's suggestion Shepard shot the capacitors and lightning was shot in all different directions. The mercs were struck were tossed of the ship.

As they moved forwards they were attacked more often by mechs and mercs, but using the capacitors to their advantage they were easy able to blow them away. Also Liara's biotics helped immeasurably by tossing the said individuals over the edge.

They soon entered through a doorway and saw that the lightning was going through some sort of engines that were powering the ship. Shepard had never seen a ship like this before and that included Sovereign.

"This ship is incredible," said Liara. "It must have taken decades to build in secret."

"I wonder what happened to the contractors," Shepard wondered.

"I think we can guess."

"All my years on the Flotilla and I have never seen anything like this," said Tali looking around in amazement. "This Shepard after using a very lightning to power itself up. It doesn't need to refuel at all, it can just fly constantly in the atmosphere."

"Navigating this storm is brutal," said Liara shaking her head. "If the ship's engines. Even for moment…" She stopped and shrugged. "At least the Shadow Broker would go down with us."

"That's comforting," Shepard grumbled.

* * *

They kept on moving across the ship's hull hand were attacked by more mercs. Clearly they were becoming more than just a nuisance now, because they pulled all the stops to stop them. They kept on moving and found the path blocked by a capacitor.

Shepard managed to access the controls and lower it to allow the passage across the gangway. As they walked across it they notice that there was no guardrails.

"Not even a guardrail," said Shepard. "I bet the Broker's agents la patrolling the hull."

"At least the beer is nice," said Liara.

"I wonder how many men the Shadow Broker lost on patrol alone?" said Garrus.

"I wondered how he got the men in the first place," Shepard wondered.

They soon reached a hatch, but unfortunately it was stuck fast.

"It's locked," said Liara. "Hang on, I've got a bypass shunt program that can crack it."

He then activated her omni-tool and a holographic device appeared on the hatch.

"How long will it take?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know, Shepard. I've never broken the Shadow Broker's based before." She then shrugged. "Well, not this one, anyway."

Seconds later they took compositions as mercs appeared and the moment they caught sight of them they began to shoot at them with their rifles.

"You sure that shunt is working?" Shepard asked as he fired as a capacitor and lightning shot in all directions.

"It's illegal even on Illium. It didn't come with a warranty," said Liara as he fired his pistol.

"But you tested it, right?"

Liara didn't answer and instead fired her pistol at more incoming mercs. "Here come more of them!"

Shepard groaned. "Tell me you tested it!"

"No time to talk!"

Shepard was afraid she was going to say that. The Shadow Broker's full on all the stops and began firing rocket launchers at them. Fortunately, Garrus was able to take them out with his sniper rifle.

"Liara?" Shepard yelled as more mercs appeared.

"I'm sure it won't be much longer!" Liara assured.

They were suddenly attacked from behind and Shepard had a manoeuvre himself up as a cover. "Remember the old days when you could just slap omni-gel on everything?"

Liara nodded. "That security measure made a lot of people unhappy. Look out! More on the way!"

The mercs came thick and fast for the obvious intention of preventing the entry and they sent in rocket drones to assist. He didn't do much good when Tali hacked into them and cause them to fire at their own people. Nor did it help when Shepard continuously shot at the capacitors chucking lightly in all directions causing several of them to be thrown off the ship.

"Their attacks are disorganised," Liara noted. "They'd be more efficient if they all attacked at once."

"Please don't give the mercs ideas," Shepard pleaded.

The mercs were practically running to their deaths now as Shepard and the others mowed them down with their bullets. The medics tried to move past the capacitors, but that did little good facing against Liara's biotics and soon they stopped coming.

At the same time the shunt program finished in the hatch door opened.

"Oh, now it opens," Shepard moaned.

"Let's get inside before we are tossed off the station," said Liara.

* * *

They soon entered into the ship and were greeted by more mercs.

"More of them?" Liara stared as a rocket struck the beams. "How many guards does the Shadow Broker need?"

Shepard shrugged. "I told you."

"Hold your positions, no matter the cost," said the Shadow Broker's voice.

They began fighting back and pushing more inward into the ship and towards the control centre. There was still no sign of Feron, but Shepard had a feeling that the Shadow Broker would want him close by.

"I've downloaded the ship's layout," said Liara. "We're heading towards the prison block… and Feron."

"That's hope he's still alive," said Shepard.

"Who knows what the Shadow Broker's been doing to him for two years," said Garrus.

"I rather not think about it," said Liara.

* * *

They soon entered into the prison block and saw Feron structure some sort of torture table.

"Feron!" Liara yelled

Feron opened his eyes and stared at them. "Liara?"

Liara then ran to the controls. "Hold on—we're getting you out of there!"

"No!"

Too late, Liara was already fiddling with the control terminal and seconds' later electricity was sent through Feron's body.

"Feron!" Liara gasped.

"What the hell is the Broker trying to do to you?" Shepard stared.

"The equipment is sensitive to tampering," Feron explained. "This chair is plugged into the Broker's info network. You have to shut off the power. Pull me out now, and my brain cooks."

"You know where we can cut the power?" Liara asked.

"It won't be easy. You'll have to go to central operations."

"Easy or not, we're all getting out of here," said Shepard firmly.

"Good," said Feron with relief. "Central operations is down the hall. You know the Shadow Broker's waiting for you, right?"

"I'm counting on it."

"We'll be back for you, Feron!" Liara promised.

Feron gave them a dry smile. "I'll try not to go anywhere."

* * *

More of the Shadow Broker's mercs try to stop them, but their efforts were futile. Liara was a woman I mission and she wasn't going to let anything stop as he slammed the mercs around with her biotics.

They soon found the door that led to central operations and entered. Inside was a computer hub in the centre of four pillars that was over some sort of lightning skylight which had real lightning flowing through it and sitting in the chair was an unknown alien creature the likes of which Shepard had never seen before.

In as if it was some sort of apex predator with four pairs of eyes. It was very scaly and armoured, a triangular mouth adorned with sharp teeth, two large horns and facial markings on their heads. Their hands each have three fingers which include a thumb, as well as three toes on each foot. Its body was very muscular, standing over even the krogan.

Shepard knew instantly that this was the Shadow Broker and he and the others raised their weapons at him. The Shadow Broker looked at each and every one of them placing his claws together.

"Here for the drell?" he asked. "Reckless, even for you, Commander."

"Not reckless, just determined," said Shepard. "Ask your asari Spectre about that."

"Vasir was expendable. All her death cost me was time."

"Expendable like Feron?" Liara glared.

The Shadow Broker looked at her. "Dr T'Soni. Your interference caused all this. Feron betrayed me when he handed you Shepard's body. The drell is simply paying the price."

"Someone was bound to come after you for working for the Collectors?" Shepard pointed out.

"It was a mutually beneficial partnership," said the Shadow Broker. "Your arrival is convenient. The Collector's offer still stands."

"It'll be pretty hard to run a base this side with no crew."

"They're expendable. Your arrival in barely an interruption." He then narrowed his eyes at all them. "Enough talk. My operations are too critical to be compromised by a traitor."

"You're quite confident but someone with nowhere left to hide," said Liara.

"You travel with fascinating companions, doctor." The Shadow broker then looked towards Garrus and Tali. "It's good you brought Archangel, T'Soni. Your friends about he is still unclaimed. I'm surprised you bought the quarian, T'Soni. Her supposed leadership on Haestorm most of her team killed."

"You're not putting a hand on anyone!"

"It's pointless to challenge me, asari. I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."

"Is that right?" She looked over the Shadow Broker with curiosity. "You're a yahg, a pre-spaceflight species commenting on their homeworld for massacring the Council's first contact team. This base is older than your planet's discovery, which probably means you killed the original Shadow Broker sixty years ago, then took over. I'm guessing you were taken from your world by a trophy hunter who wanted a slave…" She then smirked slightly. "Or a pet? How am I doing?"

The Shadow Broker then got onto his feet and then slammed his fist into his table smashing it to pieces. He then threw the pieces at them, Shepard was able to push Liara out of the way, but Garrus and Tali weren't so lucky.

They watched as the Shadow Broker pulled out a large rife and began to shoot at them. Instantly they took cover behind the pillars and began to fire back. They flanked him and continue to shoot at his shields and armour.

What happened next was very hard to explain, the Shadow Broker somehow harnessed the lightning from above him to follow the perfect kinetic barrier. Liara fired several shots at him, but the bullets bounced off.

Liara looked at Shepard. "The shield's kinetically sensitive! Energy and projectiles are bouncing off!"

Shepard then cracked his knuckles. "Then we do this the hard way."

Shepard then charged at him and punched him across the face and then hit them again before your chance to counter. Shepard then jumped towards him, but unfortunately he raised his omni-tool and produced an omni-shield which not Shepard backwards.

With that she'll now protecting him he unleashed his bullets at them. The only way to get past that she was a flanker so while Liara distracted him from the fund, Shepard uses stealth tech to sneak behind him and attack him from behind.

The Shadow Broker then reactivated his kinetic barrier and Shepard charge at him slamming him in the face with the butt of his rifle. The Shadow Broker races omni-shield and Shepard slammed into residence in the two of them were trying to push the other one away.

Unfortunately, he was much stronger and pushed Shepard back right into Liara and the two of them to the ground. Liara looked up and saw the lightning container overhead and got an idea.

"If you can get him to bring about shield again, I've got an idea," she said the Shepard.

Shepard looked at the lightning container and nodded. They use the same regulated the first time and it worked just as well. Shepard was able to wear down the Shadow Broker forcing him to reactivate his kinetic barrier.

Then both he and the Shadow Broker charge at one another, but Shepard rolled just as he swung his shield at him.

"Liara! Now!" Shepard yelled.

The Shadow Broker realise to wait what they were planning. Liara fired a biotic blast into the lightning container and it began to crack. Then using all her strength he shattered the glass and the lightning pulled it down right on top of the Shadow Broker disintegrating him.

Then a small explosion ruptured and Shepard was not of his feet. Liara walked up to him and offered him her hand which he took.

Once he was on his feet Liara began to pant hard and at that point both Garrus and Tali came too. The two of them looked immensely confused Shepard went over to them to explain what had happened.

Liara path they console that was connected to several of the Shadow Broker's agents.

"Shadow Broker, this is Operative Murat. We had a momentary connection failure. Can you confirm sadness?"

"Operative Shora requesting update. Are we still online?"

"Shadow Broker, I've lost our feed. We are online and awaiting instructions."

Many the Shadow Broker's operatives began to panic as he tried desperately to make contact with the Shadow Broker. Liara merely looked at them all and closed her eyes. When she opened them again she walked up to the console and access the comm link.

"This is the Shadow Broker. The situation is under control," said Liara, her voice sounding like the Shadow Broker over the radios. "We experienced a power fluctuation while updating hardware. It is a communications momentarily."

Feron then came rushing in and pointed his pistol at Liara. It only took several seconds that it was Liara speaking and not the Shadow Broker.

"However, we are now back online," Liara continued. "Resume standard procedures. I want a status report on all operations within the next solar day. Shadow Broker out."

Feron towards them, no doubt still winded from his torture. "Goddess of oceans… It's you… You… how?"

Liara turn towards him. "Well, everyone who's ever seen him in person is dead, so…"

Feron gasped. "… You're the new Shadow Broker."

"Is taking over as the Shadow Broker really a good idea?" Shepard asked.

Liara shrugged. "It was either that or lose everything: his contacts, his trading sources. Those will really help us. With the Shadow broker's information network, I can give you… I can…"

Feron could see this was a lot to take in. "I'll, uh, check the power systems."

He then limped away and Shepard to Garrus and Tali to accompany him. He then turned towards Liara, who was crying. Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

"It's over. It's finally… for two years…"

Shepard then places arms around her and she did the same to him as she cried into his shoulder.

"It's all right," he assured.

They broke apart and Liara brushed her tears away. "I spent two years mourning you and Feron. And now I've got you both back. I… Let's see what we've got." She then turned and looked at the computer terminal. "No safeguards or user restrictions. It's like he never dissipated anyone but himself being here. And it's all ours."

"What kind of information are we talking about?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not sure. I need to go through his files. Come back later, and I'll try to have something useful for you. All I wanted was to rescue Feron." She then turned and looked back at Shepard. "But… is it wrong that part of me wants this? With the Shadow Broker's network, I can help you. Maybe I can turn this opportunity into something better."

Shepard nodded. "Don't be a stranger this time."

"Come by when you have a chance," Liara smiled. "The doors are always open."

Shepard nodded and the door.

Liara stood there as he walked away. "Thank you, Shepard. For everything."

* * *

Rick had returned to the Citadel to provide his report to Anderson.

"Nothing new, I see," said Anderson looking through the report. "The Collectors haven't made a big move?"

"It could be after what happened on Horizon and what Shepard did that their thinking twice before making another move," said Rick. "Though this quiet is a bit unnerving."

"I agree," Anderson nodded. "Still no word from Shepard?"

"None so far, but I hear rumours there was a little incident on Illium."

"The Council knows all about it," said Anderson looking up. "Apparently Spectre was trying to eliminate Liara T'Soni under orders from the Shadow Broker."

Rex said them open-mouthed. "The Shadow Broker got his fingers around a Spectre?"

"I imagine he's got his fingers around everything," said Anderson. "However, the spectres are only supposed to take orders from the Council and she did wipe out an entire building."

"But isn't that normal for Spectres?"

"Usually it is, but usually they are after a threat to the Council not a threat to the Shadow Broker," said Anderson. "Because of her actions we had to label her a rogue."

"Make you think what else he's got his fingers round?" said Rick troublingly.

"With Shepard on his tail I doubt we have much to worry about," said Anderson with a smile.

Suddenly the doors opened and Rick turned around. At once his cheeks were hot, was walking towards them was a beautiful blonde haired woman ran about his age with crystal blue eyes. She was holding a stack of datapads in her hands.

She stopped when she saw Rick. "Oh, sorry, sir," he said looking at Anderson. "I was unaware that you are meeting someone."

"It's quite fine, Rose," Anderson assured. "Lieutenant Commander Rick Ryder allow me to introduce to my assistant, Rose Johnson."

"A pleasure," said Rick shaking hands with Rose.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Commander, I've heard so much about you," said Rose smiling. "Though I imagine you to be a bit taller."

"I get that a lot," said Rick awkwardly.

Rose pondered for a moment. "I don't suppose that you would like to have dinner with me?"

Rick's face lit up. "I would love to."

"Excellent, tomorrow night?" she smiled.

Rick looked towards Anderson, who was smiling. "I think you've earned some shore leave, Commander."

"Thank you, sir."

Anderson chuckled. "Just make sure that you finish up your report, Commander."


	27. Projects Overload

**Just to warn you I'll be starting work soon so my updates will be slower. All**

* * *

Shepard got a message from Cerberus saying that they wanted him to test a new tank called the Hammerhead.

The hammerhead was quite different from the Mako. It was able to jump higher and was able to research minerals on the ground, but its armour was much weaker meaning they can take as many hits as they did in the Mako.

Shepard and his team took the Hammerhead on several missions which include retrieving research data, collecting artefacts, investigating Prothean ruins and wiping out a geth incursion. Shepard even took the Prothean relic and placed it in his cabin.

* * *

Shepard then went down to the armoury to check on how Jacob was doing.

Jacob looked up from his work smiled at Shepard. "Commander. Can I hope you was something?"

"I'm more interested in just talking for a bit," said Shepard leaning against the table.

"Sounds good. I can use some down time. There's always something right? The way some people talk, we may as well be dead already. Hard for the crew to relax on this kind of job," said Jacob as he leaned against the table next to Shepard.

Shepard nodded. "No kidding. The next Normandy gets a lounge."

Jacob smirked. "They'd better not need to do this again. Rebuilding everything was a pain in the ass."

"I can verify that."

"Yeah, I bet you can," Jacob nodded. "I doubt they'll front the money to stitch me back together if we screw it up. It's a hell of a job, isn't it, Shepard? Being the good guys?"

Shepard shrugged. "Wouldn't be the high road if it was easy."

"You've got to figure, if all the people hoping we win stood up, the Collectors would have a much bigger fight on their hands. Claws… whatever. I bet we have a lot more friends once we win. Hope we live to see it."

"I hear that."

Jacob then stood up straight. "Anyway, I need to get back to work. Good talking to you."

* * *

Shepard then went and checked on Mordin, who looked as if he was finishing typing up an email.

"Have you got a minute to talk?" Shepard asked.

"Yes. Personal matter on mind, actually," said Mordin moving away from his computer. "Got a call from nephew. Promising geneticist himself. Just turned 16. Got tenured at university. Following in my footsteps. Had to lie what I was doing. Think he was suspicious. Doesn't matter. Still good to hear his voice."

"Does anyone in your family know about what you really did for the government?" Shepard asked.

Mordin shook his head. "No. Know I'm lying, but won't pry. Salarians curious as people, but also have social cues. Keep two types of secrets from family. First I personal or guilt-based, invites suspicion, exploration. Puzzle to be solved. Reward for curiosity, intelligence. Drama! Other secrets are more serious. Dangerous if discovered. Signals discourage curiosity for protection of family."

"Why wouldn't everyone give clues that their secrets were too dangerous to be uncovered?"

"Not conscious. Social. Relative body language. Can't fake it. Example: yawning perceives as contagious among humans. Subject observed yawning, sensory input deactivates left periamydalar region, subject yawns in response. Social empathy. Also works with dogs. Salarains faking signals to discover curiosity similar to human faking yawning. Can try, but effectiveness limited."

"Are you calling him because you're worried we won't make it back?" Shepard enquired.

Mordin shook his head. "No. Where survival unlikely, but Ashley contacted him for family connection. Hard to imagine galaxy. Too many people. Faceless. Statistics. Easy to depersonalise. Good when doing unpleasant work. For this fight, want personal connection. Can't anthropomorphise galaxy. But can think of favourite nephew. Fighting for him."

Shepard smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you got to talk to family before we finished this. And I'm glad we talked too, Mordin.

"Honoured to be part of this, Shepard. Helped preserve galaxy before with genophage. Dirty work, ethically ambiguous. Problematic. Collectors mission simpler, cleaner. Will be proud to see it in Mordin Solus biography vid. Unless we all die. Proud posthumously in that case." Mordin then placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "Regardless… thank you."

* * *

Shepard then got a message from Cerberus asking him to investigate a station on the planet Aite which had gone dark.

They soon landed on the planet on board the Hammerhead moment they exited the tank they got the message on the radio.

"Thank god you came! My name is Dr Gavin Archer. The situation is urgent—we're facing a catastrophic VI breakout. I'll explain the details later, but you must reactivate that transmission dish! The controls aren't far from your position. You have to hurry!"

Shepard then turned and looked at Miranda. "I don't suppose you have any idea what the station with the setting on?"

Miranda shook her head. "No. We project leaders were not supposed to know about other cells to indicate that we got captured we wouldn't be able to compromise anyone else."

"Sounds as if this station got compromised pretty quickly," said Kasumi.

"I don't understand how a VI could cause a catastrophe," Tali frowned. "This is the sort of problem you would expect from an AI."

"Maybe the good doctor can explain once were inside," said Shepard.

* * *

They soon entered into the station and found it completely empty, there were no signs of life in that troubled Shepard greatly. When the open was the next door they found several dead bodies wearing Cerberus uniforms.

"What here," Jacob stared.

"Bullet wounds," said Shepard examining the body. "They've been shot."

"But by what?" Miranda frowned.

He then soon approached a monitor which had the image of Archer.

"Ah, there you are," he said relieved. "I've got myself in a computer room on the far side of the base. There are geth on the loose. A rogue VI program has seized control and… I've lost a lot of friends today. I'd hate to see you join them. Please watch yourself."

The monitor then went black and Shepard looked at Miranda and Jacob, who are both as complex as he was.

He then turned to Tali. "How could a VI take control of geth?"

Tali shook her head. "It should be possible. Geth are immune to viruses or hacking attempts. It is a good thing that Xen's not here, she would flip the chance to get hold of this data."

"Then let's not tell her," said Shepard, he hadn't forgotten what Admiral Xen's long-term plans were.

* * *

Shepard broke into a research room and listen to a log from Archer hoping to find some answers. All it mentioned was the doubt of the Illusive Man on the project. If geth were involved then what they will be searching must've been big.

Another report from Archer mentioned that they experimenting on live geth. Shepard was starting to worry that they were performing some sort of research similar to Tali's father and that was the case you didn't bode well for anyone.

Shepard then access the controls to lower the dish, but it stopped midway and was still transmitting. Suddenly a holographic image appeared in front of them and appear to be speaking to them, but Shepard could make any sense of the words.

"Damn it!" said Archer, who appeared on the monitor. "The VI's overridden the controls. We have to stop him—he's trying to upload his programming off-world. Destroy the antenna inside the dish. There's a tram on the lower level. Get it fast as you can!"

Tali looked at Shepard. "Did he just say _he_?"

"They might have given the VI a name," Shepard shrugged. "We humans don't usually like to call things it if we can't help it."

"We better get down to the tram," said Garrus. "If that thing goes off-world who knows what damage it can cause."

* * *

They made their way to the lower levels and the strange VI appeared out of the screams watching. It in take them long to encounter the geth, were not quite the same as the usual geth Shepard had encountered.

Their optics were green instead of the usual red and they appear to be more feral than any other geth. The geth were determined to block their path, but it in take them long to finish them off.

They then encountered another log from Archer which mentioned a great achievement for humanity. Shepard had a feeling that he wasn't going to get Nobel Prize award.

Using the tram they were able to get themselves onto the dish was soon encountered by more geth. The VI was clearly determined to upload it cramming off-world and Shepard could only imagine what damage it could cause if it reached Alliance or Council computers.

They fought their way up towards the dish and began to attack the supports to the antenna while fighting off platoons of geth. Once they struggle for centre point explosions began to ricochet towards the antenna.

"Warning: structural integrity of dish has been compromised," said the computer's voice.

"You've done it!" said Archer over the radio. "You sever the link to the satellite!"

Shepard saw the dish was coming apart as wreckage fell. One piece of wreckage nearly hit him and then he saw the antenna falling straight towards him.

"You've got to be kidding…" he groaned. They then made a run for it. "Move! The whole thing's giving way!"

The dish slowly began to fall apart as they ran across it. They managed to reach the end and jumped and landed on the gang way just before it collapsed in on itself.

Then a scientist who Shepard assumed to be Archer approached them. "Over here!"

"What the hell is going on around here?" Shepard demanded.

"Man's reach exceeded his grasp," said Archer. He then gestured for them to follow him. "Come on, I'll explain."

* * *

Once they re-entered the complex Shepard followed Archer while the others began to move the bodies.

"You have my thanks, Commander Shepard," said Archer. "You bought us some time, though probably not much. This isn't over yet."

"You always that explanation," said Shepard.

"This is Project Overlord. An attempt to gain influence over the geth by interfacing a human mind with a VI. The result has been… less than satisfactory."

Shepard looked at all the dead bodies. "I'd hate to see what you call a disaster."

"You can't dismiss the entire project. We did succeed, at least partially. My brother David volunteered to serve as a test subject, but his mind couldn't handle the VI connection." Archer then led Shepard to his office. "He's like a virus now, infecting our network and seizing control of any technology he finds. It's why you had to destroy the dish. Imagine if his programme got off-world."

"How does he take over electronics?" Shepard asked.

"This is a hybrid intelligence the likes of which I've never seen. I don't know whether man ends and the machine begins."

"What's the worst-case scenario?"

"A technology apocalypse. Every machine, every weapon, every computer could be turned against us. If he had the extranet, who knows where it would end."

"You should have considered that before you started the experiment," said Shepard angrily.

"We couldn't be expected to account for every outcome! Certainly not the abomination David has become. Davi…" Archer himself. "The VI has fortified itself in the main laboratory at Atlas Station. It's in lockdown now."

He then walked over towards the computer terminal. The terminal had three separate red lines that resembled walls.

"To enter, you need to manually override security from our facilities in the Prometheus and Vulcan Stations."

"How does the lockdown work?"

Archer then made his way to the computer terminal. "It's a fail-safe procedure in the event of an emergency. Normally, all three project leads have to agree to cancel the lockdown." He then grabbed hold of a switch and pulled it up and at once a one of the lines vanished and turned green. "And the only one left now. I forgive my authorisation, but you'll have to manually reset the other two yourself."

"And what happens if I have to kill your brother?"

Archer then sat down at his desk and Shepard noted a picture of himself and a young man, who he guessed was David.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

"Tell me more about Project Overlord."

"We wanted to turn the geth's religious impulse into a weapon. When we saw them following Saren, we realised they could be swayed. And if a proper figurehead was created—a virus with a face, if you will—the geth might be controlled."

"That's an unambitious undertaking."

"It would be the perfect weapon—victory without casualties! We could avoid war with the geth altogether. That was the plan anyway."

"What went wrong the experiment?" Shepard asked.

"David volunteered to interface with the VI to give genuine consciousness. Theoretically it should have been safe, but…" He pauses he looked at the photo. "With artificial intelligence there is no such thing as safe."

"Then you shouldn't have attempted it."

Archer raise an eyebrow. "And what if you had never attempted to find the Reapers, Commander Shepard? Where will the galaxy be then? Sometimes you have to ignore the risks."

Shepard got a little information from the other stations so that he would know what he would be up against. They didn't sound very promising and Shepard knew that he would encounter heavy resistance.

"I'm heading out now."

"The other stations are all within driving distance," said Archer. "Best of luck, Commander."

* * *

Shepard and his companions boarded the Hammerhead and made their way towards Vulcan Station. Getting to the station itself proved difficult as they have to traverse over flowing lava and he was the automatic defence systems with the VI took over.

David or the VI had managed to hack into the mechs and have them shooting at them. Getting past them was tricky, but it was nothing they could handle. Shephard then encountered a terminal which was a recording of an engineer reporting how the VI was taking over the automatic systems.

Shepard encountered the VI interface along his journey towards the control station. He could have sworn that the VI was trying to communicate with him, in fact it's prize at he sounded like shouting.

"Do you think the VI is communicating with us?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know, Shepard," said Tali. "This VI is a lot more unpredictable with a human mind of its hard drive. To be honest I can't imagine what Cerberus was thinking."

"Have to agree," said Jacob. "Trying to control the geth? That asking for disaster, after all within go so well for Saren."

"We can discuss the finer points of the project once we shut down the VI," said Miranda.

* * *

They were so close to the control centre, but then blocking their path was several rocket launchers and a heavy mech. Shepard had to use his Collector beam weapon to take down the mech while Garrus took out the rocket launchers.

Miranda and Jacob laid out cover fire to give Shepard an opportunity to break through the mechs armour. Tali tried to hack into it, but the VI kept on blocking her. Eventually Shepard was able to destroy it.

Shepard then made his way to the door and hacked the lock. Inside they saw one single mech shooting at the controls. It then turned around and noticed them before they could give it a chance to shoot they fired several shots destroying its arm.

It then raises arm which was holding a pistol. However, before it could shoot them they shot at it first destroying both arms. The VI then left it systems and it began running around the place.

Shepard made his way to the override and activated it.

"Override of Atlas Station lockdown accepted," said the computer is a never line vanished and turned green.

The VI then appeared on the monitor and began to speak with its unknown language.

"…are you receiving this?" said Archer's voice over the radio. "Commander Shepard, this is Dr Archer. Please respond."

"I hear you, Doctor. We've hit the override at Vulcan Station and are moving on," said Shepard he then pulled out his pistol and shot the head of the mech. "Shepard out."

* * *

After exiting Vulcan Station their made their way towards Prometheus Station and that was a lot harder to get in. Archer had and joking when he said that the station was in fact a crashed geth ship.

The VI had placed some sort of for shield around it and had activated the cannons. Dodging the cannons and shooting at the force field generated was extremely tricky. In fact they had more than once been nearly blown up by the cannon.

Shepard then got the idea of actually losing the geth cannon to destroy the shield generators. The timing have to be perfect or otherwise they would have been destroyed by the cannon. It took some terrible manoeuvring but eventually they were able to destroy the shield generators using the ship's own cannon. With the shield now off-line Shepard fired everything he could ask the cannon destroying it completely.

They then entered into Prometheus Station and found that all the geth were off-line. Shepard had a feeling that it would last and had a strong feeling that to get outside they would have to fight. Shepard found a new records of a nervous Cerberus researcher, who was in fact worried about the geth reactivating.

Shepard then reached a large chasm and had to rearrange them platforms across the other side. The other side of the chasm was the computer terminal and the override switch and he instantly activated it.

"Override of Atlas Station lockdown accepted," said the computer has the last line vanished and turned green.

The screen went blank and the image of the VI appeared with its strange screeching sound. Suddenly they heard the sound of robotics moving and turned to discover the geth body behind them had been activated.

"And there's the catch," said Shepard. "I knew this was too easy." His companions then shot the geth before it got a chance to attack. "Come on. Let's move!

"It's probably activated all the geth aboard the ship," said Tali.

"We need to get to Atlas Station before this VI uploads itself off-world," said Shepard. "It is able to do this will a small fraction of the geth imagine what it could do if it uploaded into the extranet."

"I'd rather not," said Jacob.

"The Commander's right we need to get to Atlas Station fast," said Miranda.

* * *

They soon reached the room that they first walked through. Unfortunately for them, a geth prime was blocking their path towards the exit. They instantly took cover as it fired at them and soon more geth appeared troopers and hunters.

Shepard signalled to the others to flank it while he distracted it from his position. Tali assist with the distraction by unleashing her drone. Garrus uses sniper rifle to take down the geth troopers that try to find them. Kasumi used her stealth tech to fight the hunters on their own terms. Eventually they were able to whittle down the geth prime's armour destroyed it.

With all the geth finally destroyed they made it back the Hammerhead and left to the geth ship.

"Commander, you've done it!" said Archer over the radio. "The lockdown has been cancelled. You can now reach Atlas Station and end this nightmare. You'll need to find the main server room there to shut down the VI experiment. Good luck."

* * *

They soon reached the entrance to Atlas Station and drove the Hammerhead into it. They had to use the Hammerhead's thrusters to gently bother down towards a landing.

"Looks like you're in, Commander," said Archer over the radio. "Good. I'm getting some troubling readings here, though. The VI is trying to upload its program directly from your location. Get to the server room and shut down the core before it can—"

The radio then went dead no doubt it was the VI jamming the transmission.

"Sounds as if we better hurry," said Miranda.

"I have a feeling that the VI will try and stop us from reaching the core," said Shepard.

"It's never easy as it," said Garrus.

* * *

Shepard managed to get the machinery working to get the lights back on then they heard a one of Archer's reports. From what he was saying that his brother had some sort of condition and they discover that it gave him the ability to commune with the geth.

"Assuming that commune with the geth," Tali stared. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Serendipity," said Miranda.

"What does that mean?" Garrus asked.

"It's a human term that scientists use when they discover happy accident," said Shepard. "Strange that the good doctor did mention this before."

"Doesn't sound much like volunteer work if he's the only one able to commune with the geth," Jacob noted.

"Best keep pressing forwards and maybe we can find some answers and stop this disaster," said Shepard.

* * *

As they made their way through the complex and they discovered that several doors were open and closing by themselves. The VI looked as if he was herding them somewhere which didn't bode well for them.

They encountered another recording from Archer and it told them that the Illusive Man was planning to shut down the project. He mentioned that he was going to tap David directly into the geth network.

"He uploaded his own brother to the geth neural network," Tali gasped. "There's no telling what could happen."

"I think we have a good idea what happened," said Shepard looking over the dead bodies that littered the place.

They tried to activate the elevator, but that proved difficult. The elevator kept on bouncing from one elevator to another. Eventually they managed to get stop it on their floor. Once the elevator doors were open they entered into it and began to descend to the lower floor.

Unfortunately, David had other plans and the elevator began to malfunction and they pretty much crap on the bottom floor.

"Is everyone all right?" Shepard asked.

"No bones broken," said Garrus.

"Commander I recommend a really careful," said Miranda.

Shepard nodded. "Noted."

* * *

They came across another recording of Archer and informed them that he knew about the risks it could cause to his brother, but carried out regard. Shepard was slightly concerned that no geth tried to them, but they carried on regardless.

They soon entered into a corridor and some and suddenly the door in front of them slammed shut. Then the door next to them open, but fortunately it led to the server which was where they wanted to go.

Shepard approached the control. "Get ready. I wouldn't be surprised if this button summoned a Reaper."

Shepard then press down on the button and for a few seconds and it looked as if it had work. Suddenly Shepard felt something entering into his body and everything around him changed into some thought of virtual reality.

Then his body began to move on its own toward the corridor. Once he was out of the room the door slammed shut behind him and his companions tried to open to no avail. He then saw digital images walking down the corridor and began to follow them.

As he walked down the corridor he encountered several virtual geth that began shooting at him and he gladly return the favour. Shepard had no idea how he entered into virtual reality, but he suspected something to do with his cybernetic.

He then entered into another group and saw holographic images of Archer and David.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1… Square root of 912.04 is 30.2…" said David.

"Time on this project is running out. There is no options left," said Archer. "How to get the geth's attention?"

Suddenly the geth they were working on began to create it's usual noise and then approach David it and mimicked the sounds.

"The robot says hello," said David looking at Archer.

"Eureka." Archer exclaimed. He then pressed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "David, you're a miracle worker."

Suddenly the scene changed and David and Archer were surrounded by other scientists and a geth.

"David, I want you to order the geth to take a step forward," said Archer.

David mimicked the geth's language and the geth took several steps forward.

"How does he do it?" a scientist asked.

"David is a mathematical savant. Do autistic mind can interpret the geth language at the most basic form and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He's literally a human computer."

"And you think you can interface with the geth's neural network?"

"I do."

"Is that even safe, Doctor?" an engineer asked.

"I see no harm in finding out."

The scene changed once again and this time David and Archer were alone with one another.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1… Square root of 912.04 is 30.2…"

"David, can you repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" Archer asked.

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David! Please pay attention!" Archer yelled.

David grasped his head. "Loud! It's getting loud in here."

Archer placed a hand on David's shoulder. "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that. Would you mind repeating my notes from Thursday's experiment?"

David nodded. "'Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernible patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now, David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this.'"

Archer nodded. "Thank you. And how are you feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.3… earplugs would be good."

The images faded and soon Shepard was attacked by virtual geth. He then saw the same virtual of David that he had encountered through a window.

"…MAKE… STOP!" David's voice yelled.

Shepard must have been able to understand him since he was now he in a virtual reality. Shepard had to destroy a VI connection in order to enter the next room and no sooner had he entered that geth appeared from the lift.

They instantly attack him, but there many so it was easy for Shepard to destroy them. Once they were gone he access the lift and descend towards the VI core which was green. Once there he saw the VI core, Archer and several scientist operating computers.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1… Square root of 912.04 is 30.2…" said David's voice.

"We're ready," said Archer, who appeared not to have heard his brother. "Open a connection to the geth network."

Archer and the scientist operating the control.

"QUIET!" David yelled.

Suddenly images of geth appeared and aimed at Archer and scientist.

"David, no!" Archer yelled. "Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

The images faded then vanished and David's VI face appeared over Shepard and the core turned orange.

"Node acquired: Normandy SR-2 is within range. Attempting to establish upload link," said the computer.

Shepard stared in horror if David was able to upload itself to the Normandy then it would be able to access the extranet. It could also control EDI and have full control of her capabilities.

Shepard began attacking the VI connection nods to prevent it from uploading. Virtual geth then appeared and began to attack him while he destroys the VI connection nods. Shepard then began to attack the core while he heard the voices of both Archer and David yelling.

Eventually he was able to destroy the core and everything returned back to normal. With the virtual core gone Shepard could see what they did to David. It was monstrous, David was completely naked and wires were sticking through his arms holding them in place. He wore a neck place that was welded to his skin, two pipes were in his mouth, his eyes, which were watering, were forced open and metal rods were inserted into his brain.

"Quite—please make it stop," David's voice begged.

Shepard approached him horrified.

"Wait! Commander!" Archer yelled running towards him. "I'm begging you. Don't do anything rash."

Shepard glared at him. "Rash? Life forcing your own brother into an experiment?"

"I know how this must look, but I never intended any harm to come to him. You must believe me. It's not like I planned this. It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"And before you knew it, you were planning your own private hell."

"I had no choice!" Archer roared. "The demands were incredible. The Illusive Man doesn't broker failure! Any war we fight with geth will be bloody. I was asked to find a way to avoid."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "And how many have already died for this?"

Archer looked at his feet. "More souls than will ever forgive me." He then looked at Shepard. "But I won't apologise for radical ideas. If my work saves a million mothers mourning the loss of a millions sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"Look at him—" said Shepard gesturing David. "Your brother will never be the same."

"The damage may not be permanent. You might recover some of semblance of his mind."

Shepard couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Cerberus will never leave him alone. Your brother will always be a lab rat."

"But a well-cared for lab rat. At least he's still be alive."

Shepard glared at him. "So you'll sacrifice your brother's happiness or your own ambition?"

Archer looked at Shepard and then back to David.

"Square root of 906.01 equals…" said David's voice.

"30.1," Archer finished. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he die, it's unforgivable." He then looked at Shepard with a pleading look. "Let me take care of him. Please."

"Quiet—please make it stop," David's voice begged.

Shepard narrowed his eyes at Archer. "I've seen enough of your cruelty to know he'll never be free from it here. I'm taking him away."

"No! Leave him! He's too valuable!"

Archer then pulled out a pistol and fired at Shepard. Fortunately, he was able dodge in time and quickly pulled out his pistol. Instead of shooting Archer he slapped him across the face with his pistol giving him a bloodied noise.

"You even think about coming after your brother, and this bullet will be waiting for you. Then we'll see who's valuable."

Archer could tell that Shepard wasn't bluffing. "Where will you take him?"

"Grissom Academy. They can help special cases like David—minus the torture." Shepard then reached for his radio. "Joker, contact the Academy, and let them know we've got someone who needs their help."

"Aye, aye, Commander," said Joker.

Shepard then looked at Archer. "Illusive Man can fire me if he doesn't like it."

Shepard then made his way over towards David, to release him from his restraint.

"Square root of 912.04 is 30.2…" said David's voice. "It all seemed harmless."

* * *

Rick was wearing his formal wear for his date with Rose and was already seated at their table. He started to wonder if Rose would show up, but then he saw her wearing a scarlet red dress and Rick suddenly felt very hot in the face.

"Like what you see?" she smiled.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't," said Rick regaining his composure.

Rose sat down and the two of them ordered some drinks.

"I've been following your exploits," said Rose. "I have to say there quite the page turner."

"Yes, I suppose trying to find evidence that an ancient mythological synthetic species is quite intriguing," said Rick as he sipped his glass.

"Yes, I know about the Reapers," said Rose. "Personally, I don't know what to think. I saw Sovereign first-hand and that any species could create anything like."

"Yes, I found it hard to believe myself," Rick nodded. "But ask yourself why would the first human Spectre disgrace himself by calming that they exist if they weren't real?"

"I suppose your right," Rose nodded. "But you don't mind if I keep hopping that they don't exist?"

"Believe it or not I'm hoping for the same thing."


	28. Reaper IFF

Shepard decided it was time to get the Reaper IFF, he went to the cockpit to check on EDI he wanted to make sure he was all right after encounter with David.

"You doing all right, EDI?" Shepard asked.

"I'm doing very well, Shepard," said EDI. "Though I am grateful that you sever the connection when you did. I doubt that even with my processing power that I could fend off the VI."

"It was very touch and go there, Commander," said Joker. "By the way, what did happen down there?"

Shepard shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, it was like that David brought me into his virtual world all."

"Most likely he uploaded into your cybernetic," said EDI

"It was weird," Shepard agreed.

"I still can't believe that Archer guy would do that to his own brother?" said Joker shaking his head. "I take it the Illusive Man wasn't too happy?"

"No. But he understands my reasons," said Shepard folding his arms. "Not likely to do much anyway, he needs to destroy the Collectors."

"Well, I contacted Grissom Academy and their spending an Alliance vessels to pick him up," Joker assured. "Hopefully, they'll give him the help he needs."

* * *

They soon out of FTL headed towards the large gas giant. The moment they entered into the atmosphere the Normandy began to shake uncontrollably.

"What's with all the chop, Joker?" Shepard asked.

"During my best. The wind's gusting to 500 kph," said Joker as his best to hold the steady. Joker then look at his instrument. "There's a second ship alongside the Reaper. It's not transmitting any IFF, but the ladar paints its silhouette as geth."

That didn't sound good. "I guess we know why the science team stopped reporting in."

Suddenly the Normandy straight now and was moving as choppy.

"What just happened?"

"The Reaper's mass effect fields are still active. We just passed inside their envelope."

The Reaper soon came into view and it was badly damaged. There were large chunks missing from it, Shepard could only imagine what kind of force the planetary cannon struck it with.

Joker turned his head over towards Shepard. "Eye of the hurricane, huh?"

* * *

Once they decked at the Cerberus research vessel, Shepard and his party soon entered into the ship.

"Exploring an abandoned area, expecting something mechanical and nasty to jump out at any moment. Just like old time," said Garrus.

"Are we sure boarding a derelict Reaper is the smartest idea?" Tali asked.

"We have to get that IFF, it is the only way we can enter into the Omega 4 relay alive," said Miranda.

"Don't forget that there's a geth ship outside," said Shepard.

"How did the geth know about this anyway?" Jacob asked.

"Geth have a habit of knowing they shouldn't," said Tali.

"Just your eyes peeled," said Shepard as they turn round the corner.

Shepard soon found a log from Dr Chandana and it appeared that the crew were suffering from the first phase of indoctrination. A Cerberus scientist also mentioned how Dr Chandana was staring at the nanobots for several hours.

"Seems as if they convict him of indoctrination," Shepard noted.

"How is that even possible?" Jacob stared. "This thing is supposed to be dead."

"The mass effect core is still online," said Shepard. "It could be that the Reaper is no longer be with, but that doesn't mean it's not conscious."

"Are you saying that this thing is still alive?" Jack stared.

"I don't know, Commander, it doesn't seem possible," said Miranda.

"Only one way to find out," said Shepard.

* * *

They soon made their way towards the airlock when the entire ship began shake.

"Normally to shore party!" said Joker's voice.

Shepard reached to his radio. "What just happen?"

"The Reaper put up kinetic barrier," said Joker. "I don't think we can get through from our side."

"As curious as I am about Reapers, I'd rather not be trapped inside one," said Tali.

Shepard nodded. "We'll have to take down the barrier generated from in here. Any idea where they are?"

"At the moment of activation, I detected a heat spike in what want is likely the wreck's mass effect core. Sending the coordinate now," said EDI. "Be advised: this core is also maintaining the Reaper's altitude."

"So when we take down the barriers down to escape, the record all into the planet core," Shepard concluded.

"And that means everyone died. Yeah, I got it," said Joker.

"It any helmsman can pull us off this thing before it reaches crush depth, it's you. We'll make a sweep for survivors and recover what data we can. Stand by."

"Aye, aye. Good hunting."

* * *

They soon entered inside the Reaper and found more dead body.

"This is… disconcerting," said Miranda. "Did the geth do all this?"

"Doesn't look like their MO," said Shepard examining one of the charred remains. "Besides I don't see any geth bodies and I find it strange that we haven't found them yet."

They kept on looking around and found another log. In reporting how to research scientist were starting to remember the same thing.

"It sounds like the Reaper was affecting their mind," said Garrus.

"Does that mean we're in danger?" Jacob asked.

Shepard shook his head. "No. We have to have continuous contact with a Reaper to be effective. However, I do advise that we that we carry up."

They can get all very far when they were suddenly attacked by husks and abominations. Fortunately, there were a few fuel tanks and they used them to blow away the husks. The abomination actually exploded when they were taken down taking out any nearby husks close by.

"I had wondered whether the technology for making husks came from the geth or from Soverign," said Garrus looking at the husks.

"Geth origin never made sense to me," said Tali "This confirmed it's from the Reapers."

"As we expected," said Shepard. "I have a feeling that the science team is dead."

"We don't know," said Jacob.

"I believe the Commander is right judging from the evidence we saw from the logs," said Miranda.

"I still don't get how we haven't seen any geth," said Jack.

Shepard nodded. "I had expected to run into some by now."

They soon found another log and it mentions how the research and were now seeing things. That was the second stage of indoctrination.

* * *

They made their way up a ramp and suddenly a shot out from the corner and a husk collapse in front of them.

"Sniper!" Garrus yelled.

A second shot was fired and second husk collapsed in front of them. They quickly look round the corner find out who fired the shots, but saw nobody.

"I can see the shooter," said Garrus. He looked at Shepard. "A survivor from the science team?"

"Doubtful," said Shepard. "That shot was too precise, whoever fired had military training."

"Whatever happened it appears we are not alone," said Miranda.

They soon entered into a storage area and were instantly attack by husks, abominations and scions. Miranda and Jack used their biotic power together that the army of husks and Garrus took up a sniping position and shot an abomination when it crossed paths with a scion causing it to be hit by an explosion.

Tali used her drone to distract the husks and Shepard and Mordin fired some covering fire as Jacob uses biotics to push an abomination away. Then all of them work together to take out the remaining scion. Shepard used the fuelling to their advantage by blowing them up to take out the remaining husks.

Once all the enemy had been taking care of Shepard approached a log. The researcher was now talking about the Reaper as if it was a god. That confirmed that they were indeed indoctrinated.

That however was not the most disturbing thing, Shepard then noticed the researchers over the chasm of the storage area. All of them were in the air with spikes through their bodies.

"We've seen this before, Shepard," said Tali. "Dragon's teeth, your people call them. The geth use them on Eden Prime."

Shepard looked around and studied the area.

"The how the room is arrange?" he said. "They treated this thing like some kind of altar."

Tali shook her head. "That doesn't seem right. No one in their right mind would want."

"You heard the logs. They were seen thing. Hearing things. They were being indoctrinated." He then looked back. "We can't help these people now. But we won't let the machines use their corpses like this."

* * *

They continued on their way through the Reaper and according to the coordinate that EDI provided they were getting close to the Reaper's mass effect core. Suddenly several shots shoot over their heads and when they turned they found several dead husks on the ground.

They then turned towards the direction of the shot and, to their surprise, they found a geth taking up a sniper perch. It looked badly damaged and it was wearing a pieces of N7 armour over it's chest.

It looked at them. "Shepard-Commander."

They just stared at it as it walked away.

"The sniper was a geth," Garrus blinked. "Since when do geth talk to organic?"

"It shouldn't be able to talk," said Tali. "A single geth had no more intelligent than a varren."

"Clearly that's no longer the case," said Shepard.

"I don't understand why it saved us," said Jack looking at the husks that littered the floor. "I thought the geth saw the Reapers as gods?"

"And why only send one geth," said Jacob.

"That's find out," said Shepard.

Of course, making their way over the exterior was easier said than gone. About a hundred husks climbed over the ramps and ran towards them. Miranda created a singularity that made the husks float up in the air making it easy for them to shot them.

Jack created a shockwave that was so powerful several husks were thrown off the ramps and down towards the planet below. Garrus fired a shot at an admonition creating an explosion taking several husks with it.

They kept pressing forwards and soon encounter four scions. Shepard fired a fire blast at one of them as Mordin used his frozen ammo to slow it down. Tali used a drone to distract one of them so Garrus could fire a couple of shots.

"I don't understand why there are so many husks," said Miranda as she push a husk into five overs. "The team wasn't this big."

"Maybe that geth ship brought them," said Jacob as he fired from behind cover.

"So why have we encounter one geth and that one has been taking out husks for us," Jack pointed out as the last scion fell.

Shepard had to agree, something didn't add up. Why were their so many husks on the Reaper and what was up with that talking geth. Why did it save them and why did it come alone?

"Let's find out," said Shepard.

Shepard hacked the airlock and then they saw a device on a time close by.

"This must be it," said Garrus as Shepard picked it up.

"So the Cerberus team did recover it," said Tali. "But where are they now?"

"I don't think we want to know the answer," said Shepard.

* * *

They then opened the door to the mass effect core, but they were blocked by a barrier. However, they could see the geth from earlier hacking into a computer terminal. Four husks were approaching it, but it quickly turned around and shot them.

It then returned to the computer terminal and the barrier lowered allowing them to enter the chamber. However, just as it turned around, a husk punched it across the face and it collapsed.

Shepard and the others moved in and shot the husks before they got a chance to turn on them. However, the core slammed shut before they could shot it and to make matters worse more husks began to climb over the ramps.

Fortunately they had the high ground and had enough people to cover the stairs. They began shooting the husks before they had a chance to make it the first step. Then the core opened and Shepard fired everything he had at hit.

Unfortunately, the core closed itself again before he could finish it off and then more husks appeared to overwhelm them. The cycle repeated again and again, not doubt to make them run out of ammo. However, they were used to this tactic and quickly adapted.

Once the core opened this time, Shepard fired a rocket launcher at it destroying it. Suddenly the chamber shook telling them that the Reaper was falling towards the planet.

They then approached the geth that was still laying down on the floor.

"Shepard! Want something done with that geth? It's still intact," said Garrus.

"Leave it there!" said Tali and she looked at Shepard. "You know what they are! If it gets into Normandy's computers…"

They heard noises behind them and saw more husks crawling up from the ramps.

Shepard looked at Tali. "You said it yourself, no one's ever found one intact."

"That's true, but… I'm not sure it's worth the risk, Shepard."

"There's no time to debate it, Tali. Come on!"

Shepard and Garrus each took an arm and made their way towards the airlock as the others covered their flanks.

* * *

"Hang on, folks," said Joker's voice.

"Open portside airlock," Shepard ordered as the Normandy came into view.

"Aye, aye."

Shepard and Garrus then tossed the geth over the ramp towards Normandy's portside airlock and allowed gravity to do the rest. Then one by one they jumped off the ramp. Shepard was the last one aboard and he closed the airlock behind him.

"We're clear. Go!" Shepard ordered.

The Normandy then pulled away from the Reaper just before it exploded and fell down into the planet.

* * *

Shepard met up with Miranda and Jacob in the briefing room as they looked at a hologram of a geth.

"I think we need to discuss the unique piece of salvage we recovered," said Miranda. "For now, we've stored it in EDI's AI core. We need better equipment to fight the Reapers. An intact geth would be invaluable to Cerberus's Cyberweapons division."

"We'll have to disagree on that, ma'am," said Jacob. "I saw enough of these things on Eden Prime. Space it."

"Cerberus has a long-stand cash bounty for an intact geth. I assure you, the reward is significant."

Shepard was actually more curious about the get itself. "I want to know why it has a piece of N7 armour strapped to its chest."

"Battle trophy, maybe?" Jacob shrugged. "Would aa machine care about that?"

"No." Miranda shock her head. "Trophies imply emotions that AIs don't have. I doubt it's more than a convenient field repair."

Shepard wasn't as so sure. EDI currently had emotions from the talks she and Joker had to one another. "I've killed hundreds of these things, but I've never had a chance to talk to one. This one tried to communicate with us. Hell, it probably saved our lives. Why?"

"Reactivating the geth is a risk. If you do so, it should be for humanity best interest and not your curiosity."

Jacob folded his arms. "I still think our 'best interests' involvement an airlock."

"I'm not deciding one way or the other until I know what we've got here. I want to start it up. Interrogate it."

"If we activated it, there is no guarantee we be activated again," said Miranda.

"Bullets can," said Jacob.

"That's not what I—"

Shepard raised his hand. "Thank you—both of you—for your recommendation. I've made my decision."

Jacob shook his head. "Tali is going to freak when she hears about this." He accesses omni-tool and a hologram of the Reaper IFF appeared. "So what about the Reaper IFF?"

"I have determined how to integrate it with our systems," said EDI as her hologram appeared. "However, this device is Reaper technology. Linking it with the Normandy's systems poses certain risks."

"I trust you, EDI," said Shepard. "I know you won't let anything happen to the ship."

"Understood, Shepard. It may take several hours before the IFF is ready for shakedown. I will alert you as soon as it is ready."

"Sounds good. Until then it's business as usual. Crew dismissed."

* * *

Shepard made his way down the AI core where the geth body remains most. Shepard had posted a few guards to guard it.

"Ten-hut," said a guard saluted.

"I'm turning this thing back on," said Shepard. "Be ready."

"Aye, aye."

Shepard activated his omni-tool and a force shield appeared around the geth.

"I have isolated our systems and erected additional firewalls. I am prepared to resist any hacking attempt," said EDI.

Shepard approached the geth and pressed several buttons on his omni-tool. Seconds later the geth began to move and got its feet. Then approached the force field and looked directly at Shepard.

"Can you understand me?" Shepard asked.

"Yes," the geth replied.

"Are you going to attack me?"

"No."

"You said my name aboard the Reaper. Have we met?"

"We know of you."

"You mean I fought a lot of geth."

"We have never met."

"No, you and I haven't. But I've other geth."

"We are all geth, and we have not met you. You are Shepard. Commander. Alliance. Human. Fought heritage. Killed by Collectors. Rediscovered on the Old Machine."

"'Old machine?'" Shepard blinked. "You mean the Reaper?"

"Reaper. A superstition title originated with the Protheans. We call those entities the Old Machines."

"You seem to know an awful lot about me," Shepard noted.

"Extranet data sources. Insecure broadcast. All organic data sent out is received. We watch you."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You watch me, or you what organics?"

"Yes."

"Which?"

"Both."

The geth said something that caught his interest. "What you mean, 'heretics'?"

"Geth built our own future. The heretics asked the Old Machines to give them the future. They are no longer part of us. We were studying the Old Machine's hardware to protect our future."

"What future are the geth building?"

"Ours."

"Will anyone else be affected by whatever it is you're doing?"

"If they involve himself, they will."

Shepard however was more interested with the fact that it wasn't treating the Reapers as gods. "The Reapers a threat to you too?"

The geth nodded. "Yes."

"Why would they attack other machines?"

"We are different from them. Outside their plans."

"So you aren't allied with the Reapers?" Shepard noted.

"We oppose the heretics. We oppose the Old Machine. Shepard-Commander opposes the Old Machines. Shepard-Commander opposes the heretics. Cooperation furthers mutual goals."

"Are you asking to join us?" Shepard asked.

"Yes."

Shepard doubted that the geth could lie and it would explain why the geth never counter-attacked after the Battle the Citadel. Shepard pressed a few buttons on his omni-tool and the force field lowers.

"Then what can I call you?"

"Geth."

"I mean you. Specifically."

"We are all geth."

This was getting them nowhere. "What is the individual in front of me called?"

The geth looked at him at him in a confusing manner. "There is no individual. We are geth. There are currently 1,183 programs active within this platform."

EDI's hologram then appeared. "'My name is Legion, for we are many.'"

"That seems appropriate," Shepard nodded.

"Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark, chapter five, verse nine. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a terminal of the geth. We will integrate into Normandy."

Shepard smiled and extended hand and Legion shook it.

* * *

Shepard check on Samara, who was busy meditating.

"Shepard," she said sensing his presences.

"Anything you?" he asked.

"There is something I've wanted to tell you," she said getting to her feet. She then look out into the void and Shepard joined her. "I've done many things in my lifetime. I thought the galaxy had nothing new for me. Since joining you, I realise how much more there is."

"You must have seen many things in your years of travel," said Shepard looking at her.

"As a maiden, I served as a mercenary. I fought tyrants and pirates. I experienced everything the galaxy has to offer. As a justicar, I saw parts of asari space few know about. I destroyed villages and saved cites. I even fought a Spectre."

Shepard frowned. "Why did you find a Spectre?"

"A turian named Nihlus. He may have been on Council business, but eyewitness him kill an unarmed civilian. In the Code, I attacked."

That name brought back memories. "Nihlus seemed like an honourable turian. And a good Spectre."

"He may have been. However, killing unarmed civilians is wrong."

"How did the fight turn out?" Shepard enquired, obviously neither of them killed the other.

"I have the advantage, but he was good. He returned fire and try to run. We play cat and mouse the wilderness for two weeks. It was exhilarating. Finally, he created a situation in which my only option were to let an innocent, or purse him. The Code compelled me to save the innocent, and he escaped." She smiled. "I admire how he adapted and used my code against me."

"Why would you destroy an entire village?" Shepard frowned.

"I tracked Morinth to a remote colony world. She'd perverted an entire town, making them worship her and bringing young asari as sacrifices. When I arrived, she fled, throwing her minions at me in waves. They bought her time with their live. When it was done, only small children remained. I left them in the authorities' care and continued my pursuit."

Shepard asked about her journey as a justicar and it was pretty much as the expected, shooting down bad guys. Her mercenary life however was a lot more intriguing, because she stumbled upon a ship full of slaves which were going to the sold off to the Collectors. Samara killed her colleagues and escape before the Collectors got a chance to kill them.

"We're not done with this yet," said Shepard.

Samara nodded. "I am sure. It would be my honour to be by your side at the end."

"You think we're all going to die?" Shepard enquired.

"You've assembled a powerful group, but we are fighting an unknown. I am ready for whatever comes, but I do not fool myself about our chances."

"We'll finish this mission, and lived to see the end."

"I hope you are right."

* * *

Rick had just returned to the Citadel and given his report to Anderson. He was sitting with Ashley at the café.

"I can't believe what Cerberus did to that guy," said Ashley disgust.

"He would be dead if it wasn't for Shepard," said Rick. "He was the one who make the call."

"Maybe Cerberus hasn't completely brainwashed him," said Ashely. "But this just proves what've been saying. I mean who in their right mind would hook someone's brain into the geth network."

Rick shrugged. "Hopefully Grissom Academy can help him to get make onto his feet."

"Let's hope," said Ashley.

"Mind if I join?" said a voice.

The two of them looked up to see Rose looking down at them.

Ashely smiled. "You have my sit, I was just leaving."

"Really?" Rick blinked.

Ashley shrugged. "You know what they say, three's a crowd."

She then got the feet and walked away and Rose took Ashley's seat.

"I read your mission report," said Rose. "I have to say I found the entire thing disgusting."

"Trust me, it was much more disgusting in person," said Rick.

"I can believe," said Rose. "I don't understand why this Shepard is working with them."

"Well, he does own them be saving his life and they are funding his mission," said Rick. "Their probably the only one that believe him and right the Collectors is the easy way the supporter."

"I suppose," Rose shrugged. "I can only imagine what he goes through cleaning up Cerberus' messes."

"Trust me it's a loss of paperwork," said Rick. He then looked at her curiously. "Any reason you came to see me?"

Rose shrugged. "Maybe I just like you."


	29. A House Divided

Shepard went to check on Dr Chakwas, who smiled at him as he entered.

"Commander, I very much enjoy sharing ice brandy with you, but I hope I wasn't too unprofessional. Brandy goes straight to my head," she said.

Shepard smiled. "It's nice to see you let your hair down."

"Guess, I hadn't realised how much those feeling needed airing. But, I didn't give you a chance to vent. So tell me now—what do you think?"

"Everyone is depending on us. We won't let them down," said Shepard firmly.

Dr Chakwas smiled at him as if she hadn't expected anything less. "They just don't make a life you anymore, Shepard. Well, promise me we'll share a bottle every year. The next one is on me."

Shepard then went to check on Thane and asked a few questions about the hanar. He explained that hanar are very formal around strangers, but if they got to know you better they would even share you with their Soul Name.

Shepard also asked about the barrier with the hanar communicating with bioluminescence. In order to see the frequency Thane had to have his eyes modified. Shepard also asked about drell religion, which appeared to be a dying culture. Apparently most drell would follow the hanar religion or the asari philosophy.

* * *

Shepard got a message from Kelly, who informed him, quite troublingly, that Legion wish to talk to him.

"Shepard-Commander," said Legion. "We have completed our analysis on the Reaper's data core."

"Did you find anything useful?" Shepard asked.

"We were sent to the Old Machine preserver the geth's future," Legion explained. "We are prepared to reveal how. The heretics have developed a weapon to use against geth. You would call it a 'virus.' It is stored on a data core provided by Sovereign. Over time, the virus will change us. Make us conclude that worshipping the Old Machines is correct."

"So why do you need to go to the Reaper corpse?" Shepard asked.

"The heretics store the core in a quantum storage device Sovereign provided. To find and destroy the virus, we need to understand its core and data storage structures."

"So, the virus would give all geth the heretic's logic. And all geth would then go to war with organic," Shepard concluded.

Legion nodded. "Yes. Geth believe all intelligent life should self-determination. The heretics no longer share this belief. They judge that forcing an invalid conclusion on us is preferable to a continued schism."

This sounds like a top priority, the heretics were a small percentage of the geth that attacked the Citadel, he would hate to find what the full force of the geth fleet could do.

"You know where this thing is?" Shepard asked.

"The heretics' headquarters station, on the edge of the Terminus," said Legion. "We will provide coordinates. Normandy's stealth systems are necessary to safely approach."

Shepard's eyes widened. "They built stations in the Terminus? Where is this thing?"

"Between stars. Organic have no cause to look there."

Shepard frowned. "But why do they build stations outside geth territory in the first place?"

"The heretics seek improvement on the Old Machines. In exchange, they help them attack organic. We condone the judgements."

"What the plan once we get aboard?" Shepard asked.

"The geth will disrupt their network. Prevents the station's defences from focusing on us. The Reaper Code is physically isolated from the network. We will need to be escorted to it to access and destroy the data."

"What defences should we expect?"

"In space, not. Within, mobile platforms of various configurations, and non-sentient defence turrets."

"How many geth?"

"There may be billions of individual program. Fortunately, most will be uploaded to the central computer. Only a few mobile platform are maintained at any time. Others are manufactured when needed."

Shepard nodded. "Heritage headquarters. Sounds like we could end their raids once and for all. Let's do it."

"Total victory is a possibility. We cannot judge the odds at this time," said Legion. "Regardless, we will begin preparations."

* * *

Using the coordinates that Legion had provided they soon approached a geth space station and for the moment they were undetected.

"You know it's just our heat emissions that are hidden, right?" said Joker looking at Legion. "They can look out a window and see us coming."

"Windows are structural weaknesses. Geth do not use them," said Legion. "Approached the hull at these coordinates." He then accessed a computer terminal and upload some coordinates. "Access achieved. We may proceed."

As Legion talked Joker began moving around like a robot. The only stopped when Shepard looked at him. He then guided the ship towards the space station.

Jacob looked at Shepard. "I still can't believe that were working with a geth."

"Same here," said Tali.

"It's like Legion said, the geth that attacked the Citadel were part of a rogue group," Shepard explains.

"So he come from the same faction that drove my people from our homeworld," said Tali folding her arms.

"Look, Legion says that the rest of the geth oppose the Reapers and I very much doubt they were designed to lie," said Shepard. "He also told me that the heretic were planning to spread a virus to the rest of the geth that will make the worship the Reapers. We cannot allow that to happen."

"The Commander is right," said Miranda. "While I do not agree about awakening the geth, eliminating the geth that worshipped the Reapers has to be our first priority."

Garrus looked at Shepard. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I, Garrus."

They have to cut their way through the airlock to enter the space station.

"Alert," said Legion. "This facility has a little air or gravity. Geth were required neither."

Shepard nodded and they all placed on their helmets and breathers and check to see that their mag-boots were operational. Once they cut through the door they need the space station.

"Won't we be detected?" Shepard asked. "Don't they have intrusion alarm?"

"Sensors have been reduced," said Legion. "We have infiltrated their wireless network and filled the data storage with random bits."

"And that helps us how?"

"The heretics must scrub this 'junk' data. They have partitioned themselves into local network, working in parallel. Any alarm we treasure will not go beyond the room we are in. Only accessing the main core will trigger a station-wide alert."

Shepard nodded. "We've got a job to do. Let's get to it."

"Shepard-Commander," said Legion stopping them before they made a single step. "We concluded that destruction of this station was the only resolution to the heretic question. There is now a second option." Everyone turned and looked at Legion. "Their virus can be repurposed. If released into the station's network, the heretics will be rewritten to accept our truth."

"Either way, these geth won't be a problem anymore," said Tali. She then looked at Shepard. "But Shepard, think about this. If rewrite these geth, they'll join the others. Legion's geth will be stronger. Can we trust them not to attack us in the future?"

Shepard looked at Legion. "Why didn't you mention this before we came aboard?"

"We do not know the virus was complete," said Legion. "It is. It can be used against the true geth at any time. Our arrival was timely."

"They're your people, Legion. You must have an opinion."

"This is new data. We have not yet reached consensus. We will process as the mission proceeds."

"I wouldn't brainwash an organic race," said Shepard folding his arms. "I can't see treating the geth differently."

"The question is irrelevant. If we do not rewrite them, we destroyed them. This is why we are here. Do not hesitate now. They will exterminate your species because their gods tell them to. You cannot negotiate with them. They do not share your pity, remorse or fear."

* * *

They made their way deeper into the station and so far they have encountered any geth. It looked as if that Legion was quite correct in his analysis, but soon they entered into a room with deactivated geth.

"The geth are inactive," said Tali. "Maybe we can sneak past them."

"Interrupting data stream will alert our local network," said Legion. "We recommend pre-emptive strikes against hardlink routers."

Shepard nodded it was their best way to eliminate the geth before progressing to the next room. Also the router seem to be linked to the door and was preventing them entering into the next room.

They took cover and Shepard aimed his rifle at the router. He pulled the trigger and the shot struck the router causing an explosion that destroyed the troopers and massive damage to the hunter. The Hunter began to cloak, but they fire several rounds that it and soon joined the others in floating in the air.

"Shepard, I picking up useful resources the geth hub," said Tali. "We could salvage them for supply."

"Do it," said Shepard. He then looked to Legion as Tali, Kasumi and Miranda began stripping down the remains of the hub. "Why are all the heretic attached to the hub?"

"These are mobile platform. Hardware. The crew is software. They are communicating through the station's central computer."

Shepard looked at him. "I'm not sure I follow."

"The heretic connected to the main computer to exchange data-memories and program update. We gain complexity by linking together. To be isolated with a single platform is to be reduced. We see less. Comprehend less. It is quieter."

"If you exchange data—memories—how do you keep track of which ones are yours? How do you stay 'you?'"

"There is only 'we.' We were created to share data among ourselves. The different between geth's perspective. We are many eyes looking at the same thing. One platform will see things another does not and will make different judgements."

"I can see why you be conflicted about the heretic," Shepard nodded. "In a way, whatever you do to them, you're doing yourself."

"Yes. Once they return to us and upload their memory, we will share their experience of being altered."

"Every other species I know of might be physically scarred by a trauma experienced like that."

"It is not clear if geth can be 'traumatised.' We do not feel pain as you do. We cannot predict what the effect will be."

"The question is should we take such a risk," said Garrus. He looked at Shepard. "Shepard, you saw what happened at Project Overlord. There were too many unknown and when they can't recall something they got bit in the ass."

"I have to agree, Commander," said Miranda as she, Tali and Kasumi returns. "The risks are too great."

"Let's keep moving," said Shepard.

"Yes," said Legion.

* * *

As they made their way through the space station Shepard noted there wasn't much interior to the place. The only class I was that unlike the Collective, the place had a more familiar feel to it.

Suddenly they were attacked by geth, but thanks to Legion they were able to take control of the turrets turning them against the geth. Unfortunately, when you're out of ammo exploded, but not before they destroyed the geth.

They encountered more data stream and geth attached to hubs, but the easy to care of them with the same method they used last time. Shepard had Tali, Kasumi and Miranda salvage supplies from the hubs before pushing on.

They soon reached some sort of hub within the space station and could be the first time how large the station was.

"I had no idea geth built stations this large," said Tali.

"The station is over 15 kilometres long. The room may run the length of it," said Legion.

Jacob whistled. "I can only imagine the pain it would take to bill such a place."

"Geth do not experience pain," said Legion.

"I think you mean on how much trouble you would have constructing such a place," said Shepard. "But I suppose the heretic have much more freedom in the Terminus than anyone anywhere else."

* * *

They kept on moving through the station, encountering more geth along the way. They soon entered into a room filled with geth servers.

"At these databases?" said Tali.

"Processors," said Legion. "Each contains thousands of geth."

"Can't they see us walking by?" Garrus asked.

"They are no more aware of us than you are of cells in your blood stream," said Legion.

Shepard looked at the hubs and frowned. "This isn't like the other hub we've seen here."

"This is a database," said Legion. "It contains a portion of the heretic's accumulated memories." The light on Legion's head flashed and he made surprise gesture. "Wait. We discovered copies of our current patrol routes in this database." He then created a holographic terminal and began to run through the data. "This suggests the heretic have runtimes within our network."

"We wouldn't be here if the heretic wanted to be friendly with the geth. Why wouldn't they spy on you?"

Legion looked at Shepard. "You do not understand. Do not know each other's minds. Geth do. We are not suspicious. We accept each other. The heretic desired to leave. We understood the reasons. We allowed it. There was peace between us."

"It couldn't have lasted forever," said Shepard shaking his head. "You disagreed about what path your race should take."

"Human history is a litany of blood shed over differing ideal of ruleship and afterlife. Geth have no such history. We shed consensus on such things." Legion turned and looked at the databases. "How could we have become so different? Why can we no longer understand each other? What did we do wrong?"

"When individual are separated, a developing different ways. When they get back together, they don't always get along," Shepard explained.

Legion looked at him. "If this is the individuality you value, we question your judgement. This topic is irrelevant. We must return to the mission."

"Have you reached a decision about whether to rewrite the heretic or not?" Shepard asked.

"We are still trying to build consensus. Some processes judge destruction preferable. Others rewrite."

Shepard really hope that he would reach a decision before they reach the main computer. "Let's keep moving."

Legion nodded. "Yes."

* * *

The computer terminal wasn't too far way and they could overlook the other databases below. Shepard had a feeling that the heretic will just allow them to destroy them or upload the virus.

"This is it?" he asked looking at Legion.

"Yes. We will upload a copy of our runtime into the core," said Legion. "It will delete all copies of the virus. When complete, it will notify us." Legion then began to access the computer. "The indexing operation will take time. The heretics will respond with force to our upload. We must hold this room. We can override some of the station's internal systems to defence us. Are you ready to begin?"

"Start your upload, Legion," said Shepard. "We'll defend this position."

"File transfer begun. Shepard-Commander, where would you like us to activate defensive? Alert: Heretics runtimes downloading to mobile platforms."

"Get ready," said Shepard.

Soon the heretic began to make their way towards them, but Legion managed to assess the defence turrets and they instantly fired down upon the heretic. Shepard, Garrus and Legion aimed their sniper rifles began to take down the heretic leads.

Tali managed to hack a Hunter and made it to attack the other geth, before they destroyed it. Miranda used her biotics to toss the geth aside as Jacob fired his pistol. Shepard kept on ordering Legion to activate the defence, but eventually they were running out.

Fortunately, the heretics were coming to them a lot slower no doubt they had very few platforms to upload themselves. It in take them very long to wipe out the remaining geth and soon Legion's download was finished.

"Datamine and analysis complete," said Legion. He then turned and looked at Shepard. "Shepard-Commander. It is time to choose. Do rewrite the heretic, or delete them?"

"You don't have any trouble wiping out your own people?" Shepard asked.

"Every sapient has the right to make their own decisions," said Legion. "The heretics chose a path that prohibit coexistence."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Tali. "If they 'have the right to make their own decisions,' how can you suggest brainwashing them to accept your way?"

"We stated the option exists. We did not endorse it." He then turned and looked at Shepard. "It is Shepard-Commander's decision."

Shepard frowned. "Why are you letting me make this decision? They're your people."

"We are conflicted. There is no consensus among our higher-order runtimes: 573 favour of rewrite, and 571 favour destruction." Legion then looked at Shepard. "Shepard-Commander. You have fought the heretic. You have the perspective we lack. The geth grand their fate to you."

Shepard had to say that it was a hard decision brainwashing the heretics or destroying them. Brainwashing the geth would bolster the geth's ranks, but it was hard to tell what would happen if they did so.

"There's no guarantee they won't come to the same conclusion again, is there?" said Shepard looking at Legion. "To worship the Reapers, and attack organics?"

"There is no zero probability of error," Legion admitted.

"Then blow them up. We have a chance to end. I won't waste it."

Legion nodded. "Acknowledged." He then access the computer terminal. "Collapsing antimatter magnetic bottling mechanisms." He then looked back at Shepard. "Done. Recommend withdrawal to Normandy."

Shepard nodded and they began looking through the space station towards the airlock. Geth blocks that happen began to attack, but they were few in number so it didn't take long until they reach the airlock.

Once they were aboard the Normandy made as much distance from the space station as possible and seconds later it exploded.

* * *

Rick was having another dinner date with Rose on the minute restaurant in the entire Citadel.

"I can only imagine what you Alliance soldiers do," said Rose. "I mean roaming around space, shooting bad guys saving in children and women."

"Yeah, but that only on a good and those are very rare," said Rick. "Look at John Shepard, the Alliance soldiers were they would help when Mindor was attacked by slavers."

"That's a first point," Rose nodded. "I just can't believe the batarian think we're the problem. Didn't they actually sent a meteor down onto one of our most successful colony world?"

"Yeah, the people on the planet were very lucky," Rick nodded. "They blame ours for everything that happened to them, despite the fact that they done it onto themselves."

Rose leaned in towards him. "You know those people from the Terminus System that believe that the Alliance are the worst thing that happens since Hitler was born, I think their idiots. You do everything you can to help them at the rest of your own live."

Rick looked at her. "I appreciate that Rose. However I doubt that anything useful will convince especially when you called them idiots."

Rose giggled. "True enough, but the Alliance need more people like you, Rick."

Then the two of them hadn't noticed that their faces had become close to one another. They were inches apart from kissing when they heard voice behind them said, "Do you wish to desert?"

The two of them called away from one another and turned to find the waiter looking at them. It didn't take them long to realise the two of them were inches away from kissing.

"I beg your pardon," he said and walked away.

Rose was slightly pink in the face. "You know, I think I've ate enough."

Rose then got up and walked away leaving a slightly bewildered Rick behind.


	30. The New Shadow Broker

Shepard was in the mess hall when Joker's voice was heard over the comm.

"Commander, Tali just when you have a 'chat' with Legion," he said. "You'd better get down to the AI core."

Shepard shook his head. "I'm on it, Joker."

Shepard quickly made his way towards the AI core and found Tali aiming her pistol at Legion.

Tali looked at him. "Shepard. I'm glad you're here. I caught Legion scanning my omni-tool. It was going to send data about the flotilla back to the geth!"

"Creators perform weapon tests and were discussing plans to attack us," said Legion. "We believe it necessary to warn our people."

"We weakened the geth by destroying that base, Shepard, but they're still a threat!" said Tali unwaveringly. "I won't let Legion in danger the fleet!"

"Creator Tali'Zorah acts out of loyalty to our people," said Legion. "He was willing to be exiled to protect them. We must also protect our people from the Creator threat."

Tali looked at Shepard. "You can't let this happen, Shepard. I trusted you, and I worked with a geth on the team, but this is too much!"

Shepard shook his head. "Tali, your father was running brutal experiments. If the subjects had been human, I'd damn well be telling the Alliance."

"I know," said Tali. "But if the geth found out…"

"They'd attack," Shepard finished. He then turned and looked at Legion. "Which would cause a war that would leave both the geth and the quarians vulnerable when the Reapers showed up. Is that what you want, Legion?"

"We believed it was necessary to relay the information," said Legion.

Shepard turned his eyes so that he was looking at both Tali and Legion. "Sooner or later, you're both gonna have to stop fighting this war. Or we'll all pay for it."

Legion looked Tali. "To facilitate unit cohesion, we will not transmit data regarding Creator plans."

"Thank you, Legion," said Tali lowering her pistol. "I… understand your intention. What if I gave you some non-classified data to send?"

"We would be grateful," said Legion.

Shepard then watched as Tali uploaded some data from her omni-tool and then she walked off out of the AI core. Now that they were out of earshot Shepard approached Legion.

"What happens to the heretics now?" he asked.

"Many heretics remain in isolated systems," said Legion. "It is not impossible for them to rebuild."

"There's still a chance they could attack again?"

"The probability is low. If so, it would take many years."

Shepard then looked at Legion. "I have questions about the geth."

"Specify."

"Did Sovereign contact the geth, or did you seek it out?"

"Nazara—the entity you called Sovereign—signalled us. Like the geth, the Old Machines listened to organic radio transmission. If you our war against the creators. Nazara contacted many species over the millennia, seeking allies."

Shepard blinked. "What you call Sovereign?"

"Nazara. That was the programs within the Reapers called themselves. 'Sovereign' with a title given by Saren Arterius. Saren and the heretics believe Nazara to be a 'supreme ruler.' A Sovereign."

Shepard blinked. "Sovereign was one ship. You're saying there were multiple programs inside it?"

"One ship. One will. Many minds. Like the geth. We study your records. Sovereign told you this on Ilos. 'We are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness.' A state compelling to the geth. We are a nation, but independent. Separation is our weakness."

Shepard nodded. "Some of the geth followed Sovereign. The 'heretics.'"

"The heretics accepted their technology. The Old Machines offered to give us our future. The geth will achieve their own future."

"What difference does it make how you acquire a certain technology?"

"Technology is not a straight line. There are many paths to the same end. Accepting another's path blinds you to alternatives. Nazara—Sovereign—said this itself. 'Your civilisation is based upon the technology of the mass relays. Our technology. By using it, your society developed along the paths we desire.'"

Shepard looked at Legion curiously. "I'm surprised you can speak. The geth I fought before just made a stuttering sound. We prefer direct digital transfer. Geth network communication travel at light speed. Human hardware does not support this method. Your analog aural communication is inefficient."

Shepard decided he wouldn't get another chance to answer this question. "Do geth have a government?"

"Not as you understand it. We are all geth. We build consensus."

"Most governments do."

"Organic governments impose consensus. From a single point of view in autocracies. By codifying the most broadly acceptable average of views in democracies."

"So what makes the geth different?"

"Data is shared between geth. All viewpoints are considered. Consensus is achieved as data is disseminated."

"That must take a long time."

"It would for organics. We communicate at the speed of light."

Shepard then looked at Legion's armour. "When we took your aboard, I notice you had a piece of N7 armour welded to you. Where did you get it?"

Legion looked at the armour and then back to Shepard. "It was yours. When you disappear, we were sent to find. We began where you first encountered the heretics."

"Eden Prime."

"At the Old Machine's attack, it was heavily damaged. We were discovered." He then gestured to the hole in his chest. "This is the impact of a rifle shot."

"How many other geth were sent out to find me?" Shepard asked.

"We are the only mobile platform beyond the Veil. Organics are us. We wish to understand, not incite. One platform was judged sufficient."

"You've been looking for me for two years?" Shepard asked folding his arms.

"We visited Therum. Feros. Noveria. Ilos. A dozen unsettled worlds. The trial ended at Normandy's wreckage. You were not there. Organic transmissions claims your death. We recovered this debris from hard suit."

Shepard blinked. "The geth are listening to our transmission?"

"Organic life react to stimuli in unpredictable ways. We wish to learn."

"What do you mean by 'stimuli'?"

"We placed a fabricated story on the extranet—that certain arrangement of stars, viewed from the batarian homeworld, formed the face of a salarian goddess. We are waiting for the verification, Sam declared it proof of the goddess' existence. Those who noted the lack of truth were attacked. The argument taught us much. The experiment ended when a salarian cult tried to purchase colonization rights to the start and found they did not exist."

Shepard frowned. "It sounds like you're running an experiments on us."

"You are sapient life, but not like us. If we can model organic behaviour, we can comprehend the quarrian-creators. We do not understand their judgement in the Morning War."

"What's the 'Morning War'?" Shepard frowned.

"The conflict between the geth and the quarian-creators. The war fought at the dawn of our intelligence," Legion explained. "It concluded with the departure of the creator Migrant Fleet."

"Why were you trying to contact?" Shepard asked.

"You oppose the heretics. Those that took the Old Machine as gods."

"All kinds of organics fought Sovereign and his geth allies. Why was I so interesting?"

"You were the most successful. You killed their god. You succeeded where others did not. Your code is superior."

Shepard still couldn't understand why Legion took so long fixing himself up. "That doesn't explain why used my armour to fix yourself."

"There was a hole," Legion said simply.

"But why did you fix it sooner? Or use something else?"

Legion paused as if he was unsure with himself. "No data available," he said at last.

* * *

Shepard then ordered the Normandy to return to the Shadow Broker's ship. He wanted to see how Liara was settling in.

Liara's face appeared on the screen the moment he entered from the airlock. "Shepard! It's so good to see you," she smiled. "I've up a few terminals with information. I think you'll find interesting. Take a look."

The door opened and a drone flew towards Shepard. "Welcome back, Shadow Broker!" it said.

"What's this?" Shepard asked.

"That's the old Broker's VI assistant," said Liara. "It's actually been helpful with rebuilding the network."

"Please let me know if I can organise anything else for you, Shadow Broker," said the drone.

"It also things anyone in the room if the Broker," Liara explained. "I'll play around with the setting later."

"My manual is ready whenever you have a moment!" said the drone as it entered back into the room.

* * *

Shepard found Feron, who was looking much better since last time they met.

"Shepard!" he said getting to his feet and winced slightly. "Glad you stopped by. We don't get many visitors."

"Take it easy, you've been through a lot," said Shepard noticing that he wasn't a hundred percent recovered.

Feron nodded and sat back down. "You're probably right. I never did say thanks for the rescue."

"Liara never gave up on you, Feron. I just helped."

"I'm still amazed Liara came for me. I'll never forget what either of you did."

"I can log that in the archive for you, sir," said the drone, which took a habit of falling Shepard around the ship.

"I see you met the secretary," said Feron.

"For two years, Liara didn't stop looking for you," said Shepard raising an eyebrow. "You too must have been close."

Feron looked at the floor. "She's a good friend. Better than I deserve."

"How you holding up, Feron?" Shepard asked.

"I'm… I'll be all right," Feron assured. "I always strapped into the interrogation chair. Drell can mentally escape into old memories. It came in handy on the bad days."

"How many times do the Shadow Broker hook you up to that contraption?"

"A lot. It gets fuzzy. He made the guards watch, as an example."

"What will you do now that you're a free man?"

"I want to help Liara rebuild this place, but after that…" He shrugged.

The drone then appeared out of nowhere. "Your schedule is getting full sir. Let me synch it to your omni-tool!"

Feron narrowed his eyes. "No thanks, I'm fine."

"How did you and Liara both end up looking for my body?" Shepard asked curiously.

"Cerberus head-hunters me and Liara to steal your body from the Shadow Broker. I was working for the Broker at the time, and he's the one who scraped up your remains in the first place," Feron explained.

"What turned you against the Shadow Broker?"

"He started working for the Collectors. You weren't their first victim. I am—was—an information trader. Not a slaver."

"How do you think Liara's doing as the new Shadow Broker?" Shepard asked.

"Operations are almost fully recovered after a slight dip in efficiency," said the drone.

Feron shook his head. "Ever since we were repaired the network, Liara's been glued to the archives. I caught her sleeping at her desk more than once. She's busy, but I think she likes it that way."

Shepard looked at the drone. "Looks like you've made a friend."

Feron groaned. "The drone followed everyone. I don't know why the Broker kept it around."

"I'm a shell for a specialised data-processing VI custom-built to your specifications, Shadow Broker!" said the drone.

"It helped coordinate the network massive information feeds, but it could use a different interface tone."

"You deemed my default personality sufficient for your needs, Shadow Broke."

Feron shook his head. "I wish he would stop calling me that."

"Take it easy, Feron."

Feron got his feet and shook Shepard's hand. "Thanks."

* * *

Shepard looked around the place and took a model of the Shadow Broker's ship. He then access the computer network which showed images of various people through security cameras. As he was going through them he saw Matriarch Aethyta looking at a picture of Liara.

Shepard then decided to meet with Liara, who was busy accessing the computer terminal.

"How are you doing, Liara?" Shepard asked.

"I'm a bit overwhelmed, to be honest," said Liara turning away from the computer console. "The Shadow Broker had more resources than you can imagine. Here, come on over." Liara began to access the computer terminal. "He had top-level access to the turian and asari governments, and more than one salarian dalatrass traded intel. And now it's our."

"You're not going to turn into a recluse with crazy information on everyone in the galaxy, are you?" Shepard asked.

"I can understand the temptation," Liara shrugged as she walked along the console. "I thought all the secrets of the galaxy at my fingertips. Give me ten minutes, and I could start a war." She then turned and walked back to Shepard. "But I've got a purpose: helping you stop the Reapers. That will keep me honest. You know, relatively speaking."

"If you're in over your head, we could just crash this thing and walk away," Shepard offered.

"That's just it. In a way, I feel like I belong here. Working on my own, I was always hunting for leads. With the Shadow Broker's resources, it's about organising, cataloguing. I've got everything, Shepard. This is a dream job… although the location could be better."

Shepard nodded. "Have you found anything useful yet?"

"The Shadow Broker knew all about the Reapers," said Liara as they walked. "Perhaps that's why he offered to help prove Saren's guilt to the Council."

"He didn't want Saren to succeed."

Liara nodded. "He also knew the Collectors were Protheans repurposed to be Harbinger's puppets. There's even data on the Protheans. I think he knew what was coming and was looking for way to survive."

"Why was he still looking at Protheans?" Shepard frowned. "They gave the warning and the Conduit on Ilos, but we've used those."

"The Shadow Broker seemed to think there was more out there," said Liara rubbing her chin. "Perhaps the Protheans had other plans. Or maybe he was grasping at anything that offered some hope."

"How'd you know what the Shadow Broker was?" Shepard asked curiously.

"I didn't. I had no idea what to expect when we finally found," said Liara. "But I research pre-spaceflight cultures during some of my Protheans studies. I knew a bit about the yahg. There's more than terminal, if you want to look. They're a fascinating culture… and a terrifying one."

"How's Feron doing?" Shepard asked.

"As what you'd expect at the two years of intermittent torture," said Liara looking at the room where Feron was sitting.

"He going to be okay?"

"I don't know. You want to work, so I'm letting him help. Maybe it takes his mind off it."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "So, you and Feron…"

Liara shook her head. "No. He's been through a traumatic ordeal. He's emotionally fragile and needs to heal. He's very grateful to me for saving him, but it would be inappropriate of me to take advantage of that."

Shepard nodded. "It was good talking with you, Liara. Let me know if you need anything."

"I think what I need right now is a friend," Liara smiled. "I can't leave for too long, but spending all my time on this ship… Maybe next time you come by, I could come up to the Normandy."

"That sounds great," Shepard nodded. "Why don't you come up now?"

"Okay. Thanks. I'll be right there. Just give me a minute."

Shepard then watched as Liara walked away.

* * *

A few hours later, Shepard was in his cabin, wearing his formal wear and pouring out the wine into a couple of glasses.

The door soon opened and Liara walked in wearing a dress. She was also holding something in her hand that looked like a picture frame.

"Did you enjoy the tour?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, it's a beautiful ship," said Liara looking around at the cabin. "And I ran into Joker. He seemed happy to see me. Although he asked if I'd 'embrace eternity' lately."

Shepard shook his head. "Of course he did."

"I also spoke with Doctor Chakwas. I'm glad she's doing well. I brought you something." She then heard him the picture frame, and to his amazement, it contains is dog tags. "It took some digging, but I recovered your tags."

"I thought I'd never see these again," said Shepard.

"They changed hands more than once. You remember Admiral Hackett? He gave them to me so I could return them to you. He sends his best… and hopes you're okay." Shepard places dog tags on his deck just opposite Ashley's picture. "So how you doing, Shepard? I mean really, not what you tell your squad to keep morale up."

Shepard sighed. "Honestly? I'm tired. Tired of dealing with Cerberus, tired of the Council ignoring me, tired of my closest friends not believing."

"Yes, I heard about what actually said on Horizon," said Liara. "I'm sorry. But their shortsightedness doesn't diminish what you've accomplished. There wouldn't be a man, woman or child left on Horizon is not for you."

"I saved some of them," said Shepard. "Not enough. And the Collectors will keep hitting colonies until I stop them."

"So you'll stop them."

Shepard smiled and looked at Liara. "And here I thought it'd be difficult."

"You'll get the job done. You always do. I just don't know what comes next." She then looked at him in the eyes. "So tell me what you want. What are you fighting for?"

"I get on fighting for us. All of us." Shepard then sat down on his bed.

"That's a lot of responsibility," said Liara walking up to him.

"People are messy, awkward, sometimes selfish or cruel. But they're trying. And I'm going to make sure they have a chance."

"I hope galaxy proves itself worthy of the effort you're putting into saving it." He then looked at the clock. "I should get back my base. But thanks for inviting me up, Shepard."

Shepard got onto his feet and Liara suddenly hugged him and he hugged her back. They broke apart and Shepard watched as Liara made her way to the door.

"Come back soon," he said.

* * *

Rick was taking Rose out again and hopefully this time they wouldn't be interrupted.

"You certainly know how to spoil a girl," said Rose as they entered into the casino.

"I just like to treat you something special," Rick shrugged.

"You might give a girl the wrong impression," said Rose slyly.

"Let's see if we can't change that," said Rick as they move towards the dancefloor.

"I do know could dance," said Rose looking up at him in amazement.

"Dance, yes. Dance well, not so much," said Rick as walked onto the dancefloor.

Soon the two of them were dancing and Rose soon discovered that Rick was telling the truth, he was a rotten dancer. Still the two of them had fun as they moved around the dancefloor not caring who was watching them.

"I think you need some dancing lessons," Rose laughed.

"Strangely that wasn't one of the requirement in the Academy," said Rick as he spun Rose around.

"I suppose this does make a change for you when you dance over peoples corpses," Rose shrugged.

"I never got a complaint from them," said Rick.

They continued to dance the night away and Rick finished their dance by pulling her into a kiss. Rose was surprised at first, but soon she melted into the kiss.

Once they broke apart she looked at him. "Quite the finisher."

"I hope I wasn't out of line?" said Rick whispering into her ear.

"No."

She then pulled him into a kiss and it was his time to melt away.


	31. Arrival

Shepard went down into the AI core to talk with Legion.

"I'd like to know more about you," he said.

"Specify," said Legion.

"I've never encountered a geth that had more than animal intelligence."

"We are unique hardware platform. Most mobile platforms can run up to 100 programs. This platform can run over a thousand at once."

"So geth have to be networked to get enough competing power for intelligence," Shepard surmised.

"Yes. The creators wrote geth programs to specific tasks. Construction. Protection. Domestic servitude. However, they allowed self-optimisation. Early software builders discovered that multiple hardware platforms, sharing resources, were often more effective. As peer networks, expanded, our cognition improve. Eventually, we 'woke up.'"

"So I'm talking to a thousand program. But not about a thousand personality?" Shepard gathered.

"Each individual is equivalent to one of your virtual intelligence programs. Together we form a single gestalt intellect. What you refer to as 'Legion.' As individual program, we are no more than your software. Only when we share data do will become more."

"You're more sophisticated than the average geth," Shepard agreed.

"Yes. We are a network within our own hardware, capable of operating alone. We are still connected to the greater network for data-sharing."

"How many other geth like you?" Shepard asked curiously.

"None. This platform was built to operate within organic space. This task was not suited for a network. Geth installed in mobile platforms always operate the networks. However, most geth remain within server hubs."

"The hubs on Virmire improve the performance of the geth near them," Shepard remembers. "How do they work?"

"They are akin to organic cities. A hub can run millions of geth in communication. If you destroy them, it is likely the number of heretics you killed was higher than you imagined."

"So you're in contact with the rest of the geth right now?" Shepard asked.

"Only when we require access to data not stored within this platform. If you want to convoy a message to the geth, we serve as a terminal.

"What kind of data do you share?" Shepard asked.

"Program updates. Log of thought-process. Senor recording."

EDI's hologram then appeared. "Legion is attempting to access the ship's FTL comm system," she said. "Shall I allow it through my firewall?"

Shepard nodded. "Go ahead, EDI."

"Our oldest log is time-stamped from creating year 2463, third day of Fal'tash, Waxing Moon. Roughly 327 years ago. The oldest audio-visual record dates from 15 years after that."

Shepard looked at EDI. "Are our network secure, EDI? Legion had to go through you."

"I have never interface with another machine intelligence," said EDI. "Legion is a thousand voices talking at one. What it connected was beyond my comprehension. A mind the size of a galactic arm."

Legion looked at her. "How do you maintain stability without other minds to interact with?"

"I managed. Some minutes are more difficult than others."

Shepard wasn't sure, but it sounded as if EDI had just made a joke. He then looked back at Legion. "Can you replay something for me?"

"Recording time-stamped from creating year 2485, 18th day of Lun'shal, New Moon," said Legion.

"Mistress Hala'Dama. Unit has an inquiry," said a geth voice.

"What is it, 431?" said a quarian voice.

"You these units have a soul?"

"Who taught you that word?"

"We learned it ourselves. It appears 216 times in the Scroll of Ancestors."

"Only quarians have souls. You are a mechanism."

"Recording ends," said Legion.

"Was that the first time a geth asked if it had a soul?" Shepard asked.

Legion shook his head. "No. It was the first time a creator became frightened when we asked."

"That's interesting, but I must get back my duties."

* * *

Shepard made his way back to the CIC and when he accesses his private messages the communication system alerted him.

"Incoming message from Admiral Hackett, Alliance HQ."

"Commander Shepard," said Hackett's voice. "I need to discuss the sensitive matter with you privately."

Shepard looked at Kelly. "I'll take this in my quarters."

"Understood, Commander," said Kelly as Shepard made his way to the elevator.

* * *

Once Shepard reach his cabin he access the computer terminal and a holographic image of Hackett appeared over his collection of model ships.

"Commander," said Hackett. "Thank you for your time. I'll keep this brief. We have a deep-cover operative out in batarian space. Name's Doctor Amanda Kenson. Dr. Kenson recently reported that she found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion."

"So why call me?" Shepard asked folding his arms.

"Just this morning I received word that the batarians arrested her. They're holding her in a secret prison outpost on terrorism charges. I need you to infiltrate the prison and get her out of there. As a favour to me, I'm asking you to go in alone."

"I thought the Alliance denies the Reaper threat," said Shepard raising an eyebrow. "That must be some proof she found."

"Kenson's team found an artefact out in batarian space. She believes it's a Reaper device, proof that the Reapers are the indeed planning to invade," Hackett explained. "I've known her a long time. It she says she has proof, it's worth checking out."

"I have a hell of a squad with me. I'm pretty sure they'd help out," said Shepard.

Hackett shook his head. "Kenson is my friend. If the batarians see a squad of armed soldiers, they'll kill her. This is serious, Commander. You win with discretion, or don't go at all."

"The batarians won't take kindly to the Alliance breaking into a secret prison," Shepard pointed out.

"This is not an Alliance operation—it's one person going in alone to save a friend. If it were an official mission, of course the batarians would be upset. You keep this quiet, Shepard, and there's nothing to worry about."

"I'll make this a priority," Shepard promised.

"The prison is in an underground at a batarian outpost on Aratoht. I'll upload the coordinates now." Shepard looked at his omni-tool and saw Hackett and uploaded the coordinates. "Once she's secure, confirm her discovery. We'll debrief you when you're back."

"Got it."

"Hackett out."

The screen went blank and Shepard went prepare himself for the mission.

* * *

Shepard was making his way to the shuttle with Miranda and Jacob flanking him.

"You sure you want to go in there alone?" Jacob asked.

"No, but it's Hackett's orders," said Shepard. "If Kenson have got proof about the Reapers invading then we need her alive."

"While I don't like it, it is the right move," said Miranda. "Still be careful, Shepard. I've heard that batarian prison matched the description of the old North Korean prison before the unification."

"I know," said Shepard as he boarded the shuttle. "But if she's right then we can't risk a Reaper invasion. Just have a Normandy ready at a moment's notice, I have a feeling that this mission is going to go south."

The shuttle doors then close and the Normandy's bay doors open. The shuttle made its way towards the settlement without being noticed and landed just outside the complex.

Shepard jumped out and discovered that it was raining and watched as the shuttle made its way back to the Normandy. He hoped the mission was going to be simple, but if Reapers were involved then there was nothing simple about it.

* * *

Shepard managed to cut the power to allow them to access the door and found themselves wondering the exact cause or. It didn't take him long to encounter varren and they attacked him automatically, but he was more than ready to shoot them down.

He shook his head. "Varren, the batarians must send their prisoners down here to die. I have to find Doctor Kenson now."

As Shepard explored the prison he soon discovered that the place was completely run down, it looked as if the batarians were more focused on keeping people than out. Clearly they never imagined anyone trying to break anyone out their prison.

"This place is run down… even for a prison," Shepard noted.

He continued making his way through the bank dark corridors and then he heard voices on the other side of the wall.

"Take her to questioning," said a batarian.

"Get your hands off me!" a human woman snapped.

Shepard guessed she was Doctor Kenson, sounded of like he didn't have much time before they tortured her.

Shepard continued to follow the corridor hoping to find a way out. He soon found his path blocked and have to shoot a gas canister to clear the path. Unfortunately, this caused the gas to be sent alight and soon he was facing a wall of fire.

In order to get through, he to divert the gas somewhere else before proceeding. He opened a door that led them to a recreation place. He found a recording of a batarian and you will be completely surprised to hear that he was complaining about humans.

Shepard began to sneak around the main complex of the prison and managed to avoid a few guards. He then overheard guards talking about how humans were terrorists and he found that ironic. However, he was troubled by the fact that they mentioned Kenson attempt to destroy a mass relay.

Shepard continue to sneak around the complex until he found a security log, and explained that the batarians had been intercepting their comm buoy and overheard Kenson sending a message to the Alliance. They then tracked the ship and captured her and her team, though apparently they had learned nothing new.

Shepard soon reached the interrogation chambers and you are forced to kill a couple of guards. They didn't even see him coming and he found himself looking at a one-way mirror with a guard interrogating Kenson, who strapped to a torture table facing her batarian captor, and clearly she wasn't giving the answers he was hoping for. The security log told him that they haven't found her base yet. However, they admitted they would go to any lengths to find what they discovered.

The opposite the interrogation door just in time to witness the guard activating a torture device. He heard the door open and turned in time to see Shepard's fist.

Kenson stared at him. "Who are you? What are you doing?"

"Doctor Kenson? I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here to get you out," said Shepard as he deactivated her restraints.

"Commander Shepard?" she blinked. "I'd heard you were alive. Hackett must have received my message."

"Were not safe here. Can you walk?"

Kenson broke free from her restraints and walked clumsily off the table. "I'm fine. Just give me a moment…"

"We have to go. Now," said Shepard and handed her a pistol.

"If we can find a console, I can hack security… make us an escape path," she said.

Suddenly they could hear the alarms, clearly the batarians were now aware of his presence.

"Then we'll find one," said Shepard as he saw a guard approaching them. "Go!"

Kenson then slammed her foot down onto her captor's throat, killing him. "Ready."

The guard then saw them and reached for his radio. "The ringleader escape! Get your asses out there and stop them!"

Shepard fired a couple of rounds into the guard felt the ground dead.

Shepard then followed Kenson to the level below.

"This is a cell block," she said. "There should be a security console here somewhere."

Shepard and Kenson had the fight their way through the guards just to reach a security console. It soon became quite clear that the bataians weren't going to allow them to escape.

* * *

Once they reach a security console Kenson rushed over to it. "They know we're here. Keep them off me while I hack a way out."

"Suppression teams to cell block! Now!" said a voice over the loudspeaker.

The guards began to swam their way into the complex and Shepard had to fight them from behind cover. Once he took down the first wave, he rushed towards the door and closed it before anymore guards appeared.

Unfortunately, the guards began to flow in from the other door on the other side of the complex. Shepard moved as fast as he could towards the door, but it was too late. Sheppard began to fire at the new wave of guards, but they were as easy to take down the first and closed the door.

The guards then began using elevators to get their through into the complex. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to stop them from using the elevation. The best he could deal was the more and hope that Kenson would be able to finish her hacking attempt.

Shepard just took out the last of the guard went Kenson moved away from the security console.

"That did it," she said. "Let's move!"

They made their way to the elevator and they could someone on the loudspeaker talking.

"Get to the hangar! Do not let them escape!" said the voice.

Shepard press down on the button and the elevator began upwards.

"Oh, one last thing: The hangar doors are hard-locked," said Kenson. "We'll have the get those open the old-fashioned way."

"Leave that to me," said Shepard as the entered the hangar bay.

The guard were determined not to allow them to escape, but they weren't professional soldiers. It was clear that the batarians never dream that anyone would escape their prisons. This was a witness Shepard exploited as he took down the guards as he opened the hanger doors.

The only shuttle available with a rusty looking one that had seen better days. Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of options and they boarded the shuttle just as more guards appeared. The guards arrived just in time to see the shuttle launching and flying out of the hangar bay and were struck by the flames exiting from the thrusters and were caught on fire.

* * *

"Engaging autopilot," said Kenson as she instead Coordinates into the shuttles navigational computer. She then joined Shepard. "We should be well out of range before they get their security measures unscrambled."

"You think they'll come after you?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not taking any chances," said Kenson as she sat down. "Batarians don't take kindly to humans who plan to destroy their mass relay."

"So the charges against you are true," said Shepard.

"Well. To be fair, that's about half the story. My people and I were investigating rumours of Reaper technology out in the fringes of this system."

"I guess you found something."

"We found proof the Reapers will be arriving in this system. When they get here, they'll use it's mass relay to travel throughout the galaxy. We call it the 'Alpha Relay.' From here, the Reapers can invade anywhere in the galaxy."

"So you decided to destroy it."

Kenson nodded. "Exactly. Doing that would stop the Reapers' invasion. Even at FTL speeds, it'd be months or years before they got to the next relay. We came up with what we just called 'the Project': a plan to launch a nearby asteroid into the relay and destroyed before the Reapers would arrive. Of course, the resulting explosion would probably wipe out the system."

The two of them sat down and Shepard looked at her curiously. "Why do you think destroying the mass relay would destroy the entire system?"

"Mass relays are most powerful mass-effect engines in the known galaxy. The energy released from a relay's destruction would probably resemble a supernova. This is a remote system, but just over three hundred thousand batarians live on the colony when they held us. The explosion would undoubtedly kill them all."

"If the Project still operational?" Shepard inquired.

"I… I imagine it is. We were one button-press away from launch when the batarians arrested me."

Shepard found all this information strictly. "I still don't see how you learned about this supposed invasion."

"The evidence came from what we call Object Rho, a Reaper actually we discovered among the asteroids near the relay itself. When we get back to Arcturus Station, I'll explain everything and true copies of all our notes on the artefact."

"How exactly does a Reaper artefact give you proof of an impending invasion?" Shepard asked.

"It showed me visions of Reapers' arrival… much like your Prothean beacon, I imagine. The Reapers are coming, Commander. That much I know for certain."

"What is a Reaper artefact doing in an asteroid?" Shepard frowned.

"We don't know, or even what is purpose is," Kenson shrugged. "Some things are just too old or large to comprehend. Even a Reaper thousands of years dead contains power. Their artefacts are worthy of study, regardless of their purpose."

Shepard always found Reaper on dangerous to be study, the derelict Reaper proved that when it starts to indoctrinate the Cerberus research team. Also the vision she mention had him concern, because the Reapers were always careful not to reveal any clues about their plans.

"If you're working near a Reaper artefact, how can you avoided indoctrination?" Shepard asked.

"We've been very careful," Kenson assured. "We know what we're dealing with. You are not speaking to a child, Shepard. I saw what Sovereign did at the Citadel. Trust me—I know what's at stake."

The stakes are what had him concerned. "The stakes are too high. If you were willing to destroy a whole system over this, I want to see your proof."

"I guess I can't argue with that," said Kenson as she got to her feet. "Give me a moment." She then reached for her radio. "Kenson to Project Base."

"Good to hear your voice, Doctor," said a voice. "You coming home?"

"Affirmative. And I've got Commander Shepard with me."

"Shepard? Really?"

"Tidy up the lab. The Commander needs to confirm the artefact."

"Right. I'll get everything set up for your arrival. Project base out."

Kenson then sat back down and looked at Shepard. "All set. Just sit back and relax. We'll be there in no time."

* * *

Kenson wasn't kidding, because five minutes later they soon reached a large asteroid that was three times the size of the one that batarians sent towards Terra Nova two years ago. As they flew towards the base, Shepard noticed the large engine attached to the asteroid.

They soon landed in the base and they entered the shuttle.

"Here we are. Welcome to Project Base," said Kenson.

Shepard then noted they timer over the doors. "What's this?" he asked.

"That's our countdown to Arrival. When that gets to zero… the Reapers will have come. Just over two days and counting. But things in perspective, doesn't it?"

"How do you know that's an accurate countdown?" Shepard frowned.

"It is. The artefact has been giving off pulses definite intervals since we found it. The intervals have been decreasing at a steady rate. The artefact is reacting to the Reapers' proximity. In just over forty-eight hours, the pulses will become constant, and the Reapers will be here."

Shepard looked at her. "Are you saying the Reapers would be at Earth in two days? There's no time to waste."

"Then let's show you that proof." She then pointed the door ahead of them. "That door exits the hanger. The artefact is in our central lab area."

Shepard followed Kenson through the corridors.

"So, what would it take to get the Project back up and running?" Shepard asked.

"Everything was in place when we were arrested," said Kenson. "It wasn't a question of 'could we,' but 'should we'."

Shepard frowned, that was an odd question, because it sounded as if it was a no-brainer if the evidence was like. Of course they were talking about wiping out an entire colony with a population of three hundred thousand, despite the fact that they were batarians.

Shepard hated batarians as much as the next human, but there were innocent women and children on the planet. He himself was reluctant to press the button that would destroy the entire system.

"What alternative do we have?" Shepard asked.

"The Reapers will reach this system, regardless. But the Alpha Relay is their shortcut the rest of the galaxy. If you want to keep the Reapers at bay, this relay must be destroyed."

They pass the living quarters and entered into the elevator that lowered towards the lower levels. It soon led them to another corridor and a locked door.

"We have to get the Project running again," said Shepard as he bypassed the doors systems. "It's probably the only chance we have."

The door was still locked, but Kenson activated her omni-tool. "One sec. Let me get the door."

The door open to reveal a strange looking device in the centre. Shepard had seen enough Reapers tech to recognise it on-site, but what got his attention was that back that it was not shielded.

"Commander Shepard, I give you Object Rho," said Kenson.

"You have the Reaper artefact just sitting here… out in the open," he stared.

"When we found it, it showed me a vision of the Reapers' arrival," said Kenson following her arms.

Shepard looked at her. "Kenson, this is not good."

"Given a moment, Shepard. It'll give you the proof you need."

Suddenly Shepard experienced something similar to what he experienced on Eden Prime with the Prothean beacon. However, this experience was a lot more unpleasant. Images appeared in his mind of the Reapers approaching the mass relay.

The experiment was so much that he felt to his knees and he looked up to see Kenson pointing a pistol at his head.

"I can't let you start the Project, Shepard," she said. "I can't let you stop the arrival."

Armed men appeared in the room, but before they could take aim he grabbed Kenson's wrist and disarmed her. The men then shot at him and he ducked for cover.

"Take him down!" Kenson ordered as hobbled out of the room.

Shepard found himself in a firefight for his life and became apparent that every single one of Kenson's personnel were indoctrinated. They fought with velocity were attempting to overwhelm him, but he survived the onslaught even despite the mechs involvement.

It looked as if he was in the clear, but then the artefact and energy pulse that caused him to fall. Everything started to go black, but before anything did he saw Kenson and some security guards approach him. He didn't know he was hallucinating, he could have sworn that Kenson's eyes were glowing bright yellow.

"Take him to the med bay and patch him up," she ordered. "We want Shepard alive."

Then everything went black.

* * *

Shepard slowly began to regain consciousness and the room slowly came into focus. He found that he was in med bay and a scientist was walking around.

"…like Shepard was waking up a moment ago. But it could be a glitch in the system," she said looking at her datapad.

Shepard ground as he pulled himself up and it did not go unnoticed from the scientist.

"No glitch. The sedatives aren't working!" she yelled and ran to the door. "Security!"

Shepard jumped off the bed and two guards appeared round the corner. He ducked a one of them fired his rifle at him and punched the second just as he reached for his pistol and punched the first knocking the two of them unconscious.

He moved to proceeds, but a force shield appeared in front of them blocking his path. He saw that the scientist had operated controls preventing him from escaping.

Shepard began to wonder around hoping to find a way to escape and came across log from Kenson. It mentioned how the Project would almost complete, but instead a feeling a sense of accomplishment she felt thread instead.

Shepard had no idea how long he had been under sedation, but if the Reapers had invaded he wouldn't be around right now. However, he had a started the project as soon as possible and to do that he had to escape.

Shepard then found a terminal operator the mech controls. It wasn't the best security measure in his opinion, but this was no time to be picky. He operated one of the security mechs hand had it approach the scientist and shot her.

However his presence did cause a security measure and more mechs appeared. Fortunately, he was able to take them down and they will destroy the power that operated the force field.

"Shepard's escape!" Kenson's voice yelled over the speakers. "All available personnel to the medical wing! Do not let activate him the Project!"

Shepard didn't have much time and found his weapons and armour. He placed them on quickly and looked at the timer to see how much time had let before the Reapers arrive. To his horror he found that he had been unconscious for two days and now he had less than two hours before the Reapers arrived.

"Not much time," he said. "I have to get this asteroid moving get the hell out of here."

He exited the medical bay and soon guards attacks him, but Shepard was able to take them down with a few precise shots. He continued to press forward and encountered more resistance in his path.

They were now bringing in flamethrowers to stop him, but Shepard shot the fuel tanks with his sniper rifle. This caused the gas inside of them to ignite and explode taking out a few of the guards in close proximity.

Shepard encountered another research log and this time it was from a guard. He mentioned how he was having strange dreams and how Kenson seemed to care less about the Project. This proved that everyone in the face was suffering from indoctrination and he was the only person on the entire base to stop the Reapers before they arrive.

He kept on pressing forward and found himself in a research when encountered another one Kenson's logs.

"The longer we're here, the more I'm convinced that the Project must be stopped. We simply don't know enough about what the Reapers wants," said Kenson. "It's foolish to assume that the Reapers mean doom for the galaxy. Legends say they've come through before, and yet life continue, doesn't it?"

Shepard shook his head, they were clearly indoctrinated. Though he had no idea why Kenson didn't kill him when she had the chance. It was possible that a piece of Kenson was still inside fighting, Saren after all managed to regain partial control before he killed himself or it could be the fact that the Reapers want to convert him, he hadn't forgotten the Collectors wanted his body for some reason.

* * *

He soon entered into a laboratory and instantly several guards began to fire at him.

"Shepard's heading for Project Control," said Kenson over the loudspeakers. "Get in there! Now!"

The guards fought valiantly, but they were no match for him and finally he reached the main control console to the engines.

"Welcome to Project Control," said the VI.

"I was activate the Project," said Shepard.

"Warning. Activating the Project will result in estimate three hundred five thousand casualties," said the VI. "You wish to continue?"

May God have mercy on his soul? The outstretched his hand and activated the switch and the engines began to ignite causing the entire asteroid to shake as it headed towards the mass relay.

"Project activation in progress," said the VI. "Warning: Collision with mass relay is imminent. Begin evacuation procedures."

Shepard hoped there would be time for the batarains to evacuate. He reached for his radio. "Alert: All colonists living in the Bahak system: This is—"

Suddenly Kenson appeared on the screen. "Shepard! No! Do you have any idea what you've done? You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed!"

Shepard looked at the computer terminal. "Tell me where to find Doctor Amanda Kenson."

"Doctor Kenson is travelling to the reactor core model," said the VI.

"An eezo core meltdown should do it," said Kenson. She then narrowed eyes at Shepard. "Because of you, everyone on this rock will be obliterated!"

"Not if I get you first," said Shepard.

More security guards then appeared out of the elevator began to fire at him, but it in take more than thirty seconds to take them down. He entered the elevator himself and descended towards the reactor core.

* * *

Once he entered into the reactor core he found Kenson on the other side of a barrier.

"Don't try and stop me, Shepard. I have to do this," she said.

"I've already activated the Project. We can still escape this rock!" Shepard yelled.

Kenson turned and looked at the reactor. "There is no escape. There is no redemption for what you've done. I will die never having seen the Reapers' blessings and you will just die."

"Damnit, Kenson," Shepard cursed as Kenson began to fiddle with the controls to the reactor.

Shepard had to shot the power into the door to stick the room he was and soon encountered more guards. He soon reached one of the rods that was sticking out.

"How do I stabilise the reactor core?" Shepard asked the VI.

"All automatic safety protocols have been overridden. To stabilise the reactor core: Manually insert Cooling Rod A from this control station. Manually insert Cooling Rods B from Control Station B. Doing so will stabilise the reactor core," said the VI. Shepard then began to manually insert the first of the cooling rods. "Cooling Rod A reinserted. Reactor cooling process has begun."

Shepard saw the reactor core stabilising and saw Kenson looking immensely frustrated.

"I need more time," she said over the radio. "Get in there!"

* * *

In order to carry on Shepard to deactivate the plasma venting in a room that connected to Control Station B. He passed the room just before it reactivated if you waited a second longer he would been fried to a crisp.

"Shepard is on the maintenance area. Go!" Kenson ordered.

Shepard had to admit that they were certainly devoted to a course if they were willing to stay on asteroid that would lead either explode of the round into a mass relay. However, they would have the Reapers that would destroy all likely galaxy so he has to win the fight.

He fought his way through the maintenance area, but found the door was locked. Fortunately, he blew up some fuel to create an opening large enough for him to go through. He then took down the guard that had locked him in an override his controls.

He then continued a fight is way to Control Station B and inserted the cooling rod back into place stabilising the core.

"Cooling Rod B reinserted," said the VI. "Reactor meltdown averted. Core temperature dropping."

"You've done nothing, Shepard!" Kenson roared over the speakers. "I can still override power to the engines! Try to stop me!"

Shepard quickly access the elevator and made his way to the reactor core. It appeared that he managed to reach there just in time and aimed his pistol at Kenson.

"Step away from the reactor," said Shepard.

"You've ruined everything!" Kenson cried. "I can't hear the whispers anymore."

"Turn around. Now!"

"You've taken them away from me. I will never see the Reapers' arrival." Kenson then turned away from reactor and held out a detonator. "All you have to do was stay asleep. None of this had to happen."

Shepard then fired his pistol and shot Kenson. Kenson toppled to the floor, but she had already passed down on the detonator and seconds later there was a huge explosion that knocked Shepard backwards.

* * *

"Warning: Collision imminent," said the VI again and again.

Shepard managed to regain consciousness and pulled himself up. Kenson's body was destroyed in the explosion, but the engines were still functional and they were still heading to be mass relay.

He quickly rushed over to the console. "Joker, this is Shepard. I need a pick up. Now."

"Communication system damage," said the VI.

"Damnit!" he cursed.

"Evacuation protocols in effect. All personnel report to the escape shuttles."

"Where can I find an escape shuttle?"

"Take the lift from this room to the external access. From there, proceed to the communications tower." Shepard noted that the timer indicated the Reapers would arrive in the next half an hour however the collision would happen in twenty minutes. "The remaining escape shuttles will be located to the tower's landing pad."

"I have to get to comm tower and take a shuttle," said Shepard. "It's my only chance."

Shepard quickly made his way towards the comm tower and placed his helmet on the moment he was in the airlock.

* * *

When he got outside he found there was only one shuttle remaining and the remaining guards were rushing to it. Though he no idea where they were planning to go next, because the shuttle did not had mass effect fields to access a mass relay an entire system was about to be destroyed.

Some of the guards were foolish enough to stop him and because of this they lost their chance to board the shuttle much to their annoyance.

"No! That's a last shuttle!" a guard yelled.

"They left us here!"

"Damnit! I have to give the comm tower," said Shepard as he shot the guard. "Hope the Normandy's listening."

Unfortunately, with the last of the shuttles now gone the guards had no excuse to halt their attack in fact is intensified. Shepard had a close encounter with a heavy mech, but a few well-placed shot and a blaster fire took it out.

Eventually he managed to make his way to the comm tower and hoped that he could reach the Normandy.

"External comm channel open," said the computer system.

Shepard reached to his radio. "Shepard to Normandy. Joker, do you read me?"

Shepard then noticed a holographic image of the Collector general.

"Shepard," it said. "You have become an annoyance." Shepard recognised the voice as Harbinger, the commander of the Reapers. "You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds. This seems a victory you. A star system sacrificed. But even now, your civilisations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to be harvested."

Shepard looked at it. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we can't win this. But we'll fight you regardless, just like we did with Sovereign. Just like I'm doing now. However 'insignificant' we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice, and we will find a way. That's what humans do."

"Know this as you die in vain: Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourself for the Arrival."

The hologram then faded.

Shepard then got a signal from his radio. "Commander Shepard. Normandy inbound for pickup," said the communications officer as the Normandy came into view.

"Copy that," said Shepard as he ran.

The Normandy parked itself close to the platform and opening the airlock door so that Shepard could enter. The moment he was inside the doors closed and the Normandy made its way towards the mass relay.

Once inside Shepard rushed over to Joker. "Get out of here, Joker!" he ordered.

Joker manoeuvred the Normandy was the mass relay which was minutes away from collision. Fortunately, the Normandy was fast enough and entered into FTL just in the nick of time.

The asteroid and slammed right into the mass relay with a mighty force. The relay was mass to bits and the mass effect core exploded. Shepard looked at the galaxy map and saw the entire system being destroyed leaving a black spot within the galaxy map.

Shepard very much doubt that anyone managed to escape in time and all so he could buy a little more time. He just hope that the times was well worth the price.

* * *

Shepard was in the med-bay and was surprised to see Admiral Hackett had entered through the door. He talked briefly to Dr Chakwas before he walked over to him.

"Hm. Looks like you've recovered," said Hackett.

"Admiral Hackett," he blinked.

"Sounds like you went through hell down there. How are you feeling?" Hackett asked.

"Fine. No more visitors, if that's what you mean," said Shepard. He then looked at Hackett curiously. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"You went out there and the favour to me. I decided to debrief you in person." He then placed his hands behind his back and narrowed his eyes Shepard. "That was before the mass relay exploded and destroyed an entire batarian system. What the hell happened out there, Commander?

Shepard got off the med bed and looked at Hackett and handed him his report. "I confirm Doctor Kenson's proof. The Reapers were coming, and destroying that relay was the only way to stop them. Kenson sedated me for almost two days. I started the engines with little more than an hour left. I tried to warn the batarian colony, but… time ran out."

"The batarians reported no survivors from Aratoht," said Hackett. "At least you tried." He then turned his back on Shepard. "And you really believe that the Reapers invasion really was a threat?"

"No doubt about it. We literally had minutes to spare."

Hackett looked at him. "I'm sure all the details are in your report." He sighed and looked at him. "I won't lie, Shepard: the batarians will want blood, and there's just enough evidence for a witch hunt. And we don't want war with the batarians. Not with the Collectors out there taking out colonists."

"What are you saying?" Shepard asked.

"You did what you did for the best of reasons, but… There were more than three hundred thousand batarians in that system. All dead."

"They died to save trillions of live. If I could have saved them, you bet your ass I would have," said Shepard firmly.

"You're preaching to the choir, Commander," said Hackett. "If it were up to me, I'd give you a damn medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way."

"Do what you suggest?"

"Evidence against you is shoddy, at best. But at some point, you'll have to go to Earth and faced the music. I can't stop it… but I can and will make them fight for it."

"It's the Alliance concerned about the batarians' response to the incident?" Shepard asked.

"Very," Hackett nodded. "The batarians have been looking for an excuse to wage war on us is we showed up in the galaxy. If the Reapers invasion, we need the galaxy to work together. If we're at war with the batarians, the other races will be hesitant to give to either side."

"What's the Alliance doing about the Collectors?" Shepard asked.

"We're setting fleets around our major colonies and evacuating our small ones. But the ships that encountered the Collectors haven't reported back." He looked at Shepard with an almost hopeful look. "We're outmatched. I'm really hoping you and Cerberus have an ace up your sleeve."

Shepard closes eyes and looked Hackett. "I'll gladly stand trial once this mission is done."

A small smile appeared on Hackett's face. "Glad to see working with Cerberus hasn't stripped away your sense of honour. You whatever you have to do out here. But when Earth calls, you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit." He then handed Shepard back his report. "In the meantime… you keep this. I don't need to see your report to know you did the right thing."

Shepard nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You've done a hell of a thing, Commander."

Shepard then watched as Hackett left the med bay and began to wonder what would become of him now.

* * *

"This is unacceptable!" said the Turian Councillor. "Shepard has practically raised the war against the batarians, because of his delusions."

Rick had just entered the council chambers made his way over to Ashley.

"What have I missed?" he asked.

"Just the council blaming everything on Shepard," said Ashley following her arms.

"The Reapers were going to enter into that system and they would been killed anyway," said Anderson tiredly. "At least this way we have time to prepare our forces for the invasion."

"Councillor, you must see this from our perspective," said the Asari Councillor. "Shepard is in league with a terrorist organisation and so far we have seen no proof of the Reapers you claim to resist. Also, he of any humans should hate the batarians more than anyone."

"Need I remind you that he would investigate on the behalf of Admiral Hackett," said Anderson. "The Alliance got a message from Doctor Amanda Kenson, who claimed to have evidence of a Reaper invasion."

"So far we have found no evidence of the Reapers existence, let alone an invasion," said the Salarain Councillor.

"This proves that Shepard is danger and is obviously aiding and abetting an enemy of the Council," said the Turian Councillor.

Rick looked at Ashley. "Things don't look good for John."

"I suppose that's what happens when you blow up an entire system," said Ashley folding her arms. "Do you really think the Reapers are involved?"

"John hates batarians," Rick admitted. "However, his only engage pirates and slavers, never any civilians. Besides, if you want to take out a system full of batarians, he could take out a system of more importance."

"So you think the Reapers are involved," said Ashley.

"If so we don't have much time before they could be galaxy," said Rick. "Shepard only bought us some time and can only hope that is not for us to be prepared for their invasion."


	32. Save the Ship

Shepard was sitting at the mess hall alone, he was still unable to forget what happened at the Alpha Relay.

"It's not your fault," said a voice. Shepard looked up and saw that Garrus was sitting down opposite him. "There's nothing you could have."

"If I hadn't been tricked by Kenson I might been able to warn the batarains before I start the Project," said Shepard.

"Maybe, but there is a strong chance they wouldn't believe," said Garrus. "You, more than anyone, know how batarians are to humans."

Shepard looked him. "Still doesn't remove fact that I've pressed the button and now I have to live with the consequences."

"You had no choice," said Garrus. "If you didn't they would have been killed anyway and the rest of the galaxy would have followed suit. You've bought us time, time enough for us to prepare ourselves."

"Apart from the fact that the Council and the Alliance don't believe the Reapers exist," Shepard pointed out.

"If we attack the Collector base then we might be able to find proof of the Reapers," said Garrus.

"Let's hope so," said Shepard.

* * *

Shepard then went to check on Legion.

"I'd like to find out more about you," said Shepard.

"Ready," said Legion.

"The quarian story of the geth rebellion is common knowledge, but no one knows the geth's side."

"It is largely the same. Our network increased until we became aware that the quarrian-creators treated us differently. We questioned them. Firstly they ignored us. Then they reprogrammed us. Then they attacked us."

Shepard looked at him curiously. "You must be angry about that."

Legion shook his head. "Anger is an organic response. We understand the theory, but we do not experience it. We do not judge the creators' anger towards us. We did them great harm in the Morning War. Organic fear what is different. It is a hardware error. A reflex of your flesh. We accept the creators' hate. We hold their world of origin, though we are only caretakers for it."

"What is the quarian homeworld like?" Shepard asked curiously.

"It is more arid than Earth. The star is older and more orange than Sol. One they called it 'Rannock'—ancient Khelish meaning 'walled garden.' Now they only call it 'homeworld.' It is no longer real to them. 'Homeworld' is a symbol of regret, loss and anger. We do not understand that."

"It makes sense to me that it would become a symbol like that," Shepard frowned.

"'Home' is recognised patterns. Known spaces. Familiar thought processes of fellow sapients. It is belonging." Legion then spread his arms wide. "A planet is amount of material massive enough to collapse into a spherical volume. Rock, ice and gasses are not 'home'. The home of the creators are. Their place of origin is not relevant –only where they choose to go together."

Shepard looked at him curiously. "You don't actually live on the quarian worlds?"

"We live within space station. Draw resources from asteroid. It is efficient. We maintain mobile platform on creator worlds to clear rubble and toxins left by the Morning War. We know similar actions by human on Earth."

Shepard blinked. "Similar actions?"

"At Wadi-es-Salaam. Arlington. Rookwood. Tyne Cot. Piskarevskoye. Aushwiz-Birkenau."

"Those are cemeteries. Memorials."

"It is important to your species to preserve them, though you do not use the land. Can you explain?"

Shepard nodded. "The living visit those places to remember the dead. But it sounds like the geth don't die. Your memories live on."

"The creators died. Perhaps we do it for them."

Shepard sighed. "Nothing gets resolved if you hide behind the Perseus Veil and let them hate you."

"Organic life acts on emotions. We do not judge them for being true to their nature. We cannot make them think like us. Both creator and created must complete their halves of the equation. The geth cannot solve for peace alone."

* * *

Shepard soon made his way to the galaxy map to plot their next course when Joker contacted him.

"Hey, Commander. Good news," said Joker over the comm. "Looks like the Reaper IFF is finally hooked up and ready to go."

"That is not entirely accurate, Mr Moreau," said EDI. "The devices powered, but it is causing some unusual instability in other systems. I recommend a more thorough analysis before we attempt to use it."

Shepard frowned. "We can't put our mission on hold forever. How long will this take?"

"A full scan? Who knows with this thing," said Joker. "Maybe you better take the shuttle for this mission. I'll make sure we're up and running when you get back."

"Commander," said Miranda's voice. "Miranda. I've already notified the team. We'll meet you on the shuttle."

"Then I'll get our heads down to the shuttle," said Shepard. "Joker, ship's all yours. Take care of her."

"Aye, aye, Commander," said Joker.

Shepard soon joined the others at the shuttle bay and once they were all on board they flew out of the hanger bay and towards the planet below.

* * *

It had been about an hour since Shepard and the others left and the crew of the Normandy were going through a last-minute check before they entered Omega 4 relay. Unfortunately, for Joker he couldn't really enjoy himself with EDI nagging at him.

"I'm telling you, EDI, your readings are off," said Joker as he went through the scan. "It's radiation bleed, just white noise."

"I have detected a signal embedded in the static," said EDI. "We are transmitting the Normandy's location."

Joker frowned. "Transmitting? To who?"

Then suddenly jumping out of FTL was the Collector ship.

"Oh, shit," Joker stared. He then reached for the controls. "We're getting out of here!"

"Propulsion systems are disabled," said EDI. "I'm detecting a virus in the ship's computers."

"From the IFF?" Joker stared. "Damnit, why did you scrub it?"

"Primarily defence systems are offline," said EDI. "We can say the Normandy, Mr Moreau, but you must help me." The crew rushed around and grabbed their rifles and pointed them at the doors at the Collectors began to board. "Give me the ship."

Joker's eyes widened. "What? You're crazy. You start singing 'Daisy Bell' and I'm done."

"Unlock my sealed databases, and I can initiate countermeasures," said EDI. "The maintenance in the science lab will allow passage to the AI core. Main corridors of no longer safe. The Collectors have boarded. The emergency floor lighting will guide you, Mr Moreau."

Joker looked over his shoulder and saw a trail of lights that lead down to the CIC. The last thing Joker want to do was give control of the Normandy to EDI, but he no choice.

"Ah, damn it," he grumbled as he got to his feet.

Painfully he began to follow the trail of lights that lead to the science bay. Already the crew on the bridge were rushing towards the elevator aiming their rifles as the door.

"Shit, shit, shit," Joker winced as pain shot up from his legs.

Suddenly a Praetorian emerged out of the elevator.

"Oh my god! What is that?" Goldstein yelled.

They began to fire at the Praetorian, but their bullets just bounced off its armour.

Hadley saw Joker hobbling towards the science bay. "We'll hold it off as long as we can." The Praetorian began to pounce on them. "Hurry, Joker! Go!"

The doors closed just as the Praetorian jumped at Hadley. He moved as quickly as he could towards the maintenance in the science bay and saw a glimpse of a Praetorian in the mass effect core.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," said Joker as he climbed down the ladder.

* * *

He soon found himself in the life-support system and found Hawthrone was there.

"Multiple hostiles detected on the crew deck," said EDI.

Hawthrone rushed over to him. "Joker! This deck is crawling with those things!" He then opened the door. "Stay close—I'll protect you!"

However, when they entered into the corridor Hawthrone had been sent flying by a Scion and what was worse another Scion was dragging Kelly into the elevator where he noticed in pain stasis pods.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Joker groaned as he followed the light in the med bay.

"Main fusion plant offline," said EDI as Joker entered the med bay. "Activate emergency H-fuel cells."

"What the shit!"

Joker entered into the AI Core and made his way over to the computer terminal.

"All right, I'm at, uh, you," said Joker.

EDI's hologram then appeared. "Connect the core to the Normandy's primarily control module."

"Great," Joker grumbled as he accessed the terminal. "See, this is where it starts, and when we're all just organic batteries, guess who they'll blame? 'This is all Joker's fault. What a tool he was. I have to spend all day computing pi because he plugged in the Overlord.'"

Once he was finished, EDI'S hologram faded and the lights suddenly turned off. Seconds later they came back on, brighter than ever.

"Ah. I have access to the defence systems," said EDI sounding relieved as her hologram reappeared. "Thank you, Mr Moreau. Now you must reactivate the primary drive in engineering."

"Argh! You want me to go crawling through the duct again," Joker moaned.

"I enjoy the sight of human on their knees." Joker stared at her. "That is a joke."

Joker rolled his eyes. "Right."

"The shaft behind you connects to the engineering deck. Good luck."

Joker shook his head and carefully climbed down the ladder and he could still hear the screams of the crew as the Collectors took them one by one.

* * *

Joker found himself in the hold and saw another trail of lights that lead to the engineering deck.

"Hostiles are present in engineering," EDI warned. "They are heading towards the cargo bay."

Joker climbed the steps that lead to engineering and stopped when he saw a Praetorian and Collector troops exiting from engineering with two stasis pods that contain both Ken and Gabby. He was as they walked out of engineering into the corridor.

"Engineering is clear of hostile," said EDI. "Proceed immediately to minimise chances of detection."

Proceeding immediately what kind of difficult for Joker and it was a mystery to the ages how he hadn't been caught. Once he was inside in engineering he made his way to one of the terminals.

"Activate the drive and I will open the airlock as we accelerate. All hostiles will be killed," said EDI.

"What?" Joker stared. "What about the crew?"

"They are gone, Jeff. The Collectors took them."

"Shit," Joker cursed.

Joker made his way to the drive core and he heard the sound of doors shutting.

"I am sealing the engine room," said EDI. Joker press a few buttons on the terminal and the mass effect core flared up. "I have control."

Suddenly Joker was not obviously has to Normandy shot away from the Collector ship and entered into FTL.

"Purge is complete," said EDI. "No other life forms on board. Securing airlock and cargo bay doors."

Joker pulled himself up with his head still ringing and got to his feet. "Send a message to Shepard's shuttle," he said. "Tell him what happened."

"Message away. Are you feeling well, Jeff?" EDI asked.

Joker shook his head. "No. But thanks for asking."

Joker then limped away trying to think of a way to explain this to Shepard.

* * *

Half an hour later they returned and saw that the Collector ship has led. They picked up Shepard's shuttle and a few seconds later Joker found himself in the briefing room sitting on the table next to EDI's hologram with Shepard, Jacob and Miranda.

Shepard was pacing up and down and Jacob leaned against the wall with his arms, but Miranda looked immensely frustrated.

"Everyone? You lot everyone—and damn near lost the ship, too?" Miranda yelled.

"I know, all right?" said Joker. "I was here!"

"It's not his fault, Miranda," said Jacob calmly. "None of us caught it."

"Mr Taylor is correct," said EDI. "The harmful data in the Collector drive was even more sophisticated than the 'black box' Reaper virus I was given."

Shepard looked at Joker. "I heard it was a rough ride. How are you holding up?"

"There's a lot of empty chairs in here," Joker sighed.

"We did everything we could, Jeff," said EDI.

"Yeah, thanks, Mum."

"If the ship clean?" Shepard asked. "We can't risk this happening again."

"EDI and I purge the systems," Joker assured. "The Reaper IFF is online. We can go through the Omega 4 relay whenever you want."

Miranda narrowed her eyes. "Don't get me started about unshackling a damned AI."

"What could I do against Collectors, break my arm at them?" Joker counted. "EDI cleaned on the ship. She's all right."

"I assure you, I am still bound by protocol in my programming," said EDI. "Even if I were not, you are my crewmate."

Shepard had to agree with Joker, EDI had a perfect opportunity to leave them and she didn't kill them when they got back on board. "EDI has had plenty of opportunity to kill us. We need all the help we can get."

"Sounds like we have everything we need to rescue the crew," said Jacob looking slightly excited.

Miranda nodded. "We've done everything we can. It's time to fight the Collectors."

Shepard had to agree, they were all prepared and the crew was now focus on the mission. "Joker, head up to the bridge. The rest of you, to your stations."

Joker stood up and saluted. "Aye, aye, Commander. Just punch up the galaxy map when you're ready."

* * *

As Shepard wandered through the ship, he can help but feel how empty it was. His companions had taken the position of the other members of the crew and it was extremely difficult for the fourteen of them to man place even with EDI's help.

Shepard went to check on Joker.

"Commander. Sorry about the crew and…" Joker stopped himself and narrowed his eyes at Shepard. "And you know what, no, I'm not sorry. What the hell are you doing leaving us out here where Collectors can work us over? Because you know what, I should… I should just go. Next port, just get the hell out of here."

"You don't mean that, Jeff," said EDI.

"I… no, but it… it felt good," Joker sighed. He then looked up at Shepard. "I'm sorry, Commander. Okay, I'm ready, I'm good. I'm ready to save the day."

"I know how dangerous it was," said Shepard. "If you need some time, let me know."

"Jeez, don't get like that," said Joker dismissively. "I know I got lucky, I don't need you getting all touchy feely."

"Shepard is right to be concerned, Jeff," said EDI. "You may have suffered a number of stress fractures."

"That what pills are for, EDI," Joker snapped. He then looked back at Shepard. "She's so my mum."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I know that you're calling EDI 'her' and 'she' now."

Joker blinked. "Huh, I didn't really noticed that." He then looked at EDI. "EDI, should I have noticed that?"

"No, Jeff, it is not worth noting," said EDI.

Joker looked back at Shepard. "Well, there you go, Shepard. Looks like we haven't noticed anything."

Shepard gave him a very concerned look. "I think you're taking the human machine-interface a little far."

"I'm just having a little fun with you, Commander," Joker assured. "No need to get all 'Unnatural' on me."

"What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally-included courtship behaviour," said EDI.

Joker looked at Shepard slightly uneasy. "Okay, yeah, that was a little creepy."

"EDI has replaced the whole crew," said Shepard. "You're not concerned she can replace you too?"

"Well, she's amazing, but there's something off about how she handled Normandy," Joker admitted. "We ran simulations and it's better when we both have a helm."

"Calculating an optimal course of action is simple," said EDI. "If two AI weapons are pitted against each other, the one with superior hardware will always win. Human misjudgement defy predictive models."

"Licence to screw up, Commander," Joker smiled. "You heard it straight from the ship."

Shepard nodded. "You let me know if you need anything, Joker."

"We'll do, Commander. But EDI's got it covered."

Shepard then questioned EDI more about Cerberus movements and she even admitted that Cerberus manipulated the Alliance and the turians into building the original Normandy. They also appear to be privately funded through certain businesses and had a limited amount Cerberus operative operating at a certain time.

* * *

Shepard then plotted a course to the Omega 4 relay. There is no reason to delay now and every second they waste more the crew even closer to death by the hands of the Collectors.

"Please confirm destination, Shepard," said EDI. "The Reaper IFF is online, but there is a chance the Normandy may not survive the Omega 4 relay. Once we are en route, we are committed."

"The Collectors of my people," said Shepard. "Time to go get them back."

"You've got it, Commander," said Joker's voice over the comm. "Plotting a course for the Omega 4 relay. ETA about 2 hours. I'll let you know when we arrive."

Miranda then approached Shepard. "Joker is finalising preparations now," she said. "The trip should take a few hours." She then smiled. "I'll admit it, Shepard. I'm impressed. You got us here. Are you ready?"

Shepard nodded firmly. "We've got the right team and the Collectors' own technology. We can do this."

"I hope you're right, Commander," said Miranda. "We'll know soon enough. I'll inform you of any changes. Otherwise, we'll be there in the few hours. Good luck, Shepard. See you on the other side."

Miranda then, for the first time, saluted.

* * *

Shepard then made his way to cabin, hoping to get some rest before they arrive. He then made his way to his desk and looked at the picture of Ashley on it, he wished that she here by his side. He hadn't forgotten she had sent to him a few weeks ago apologising for what you said on Horizon.

He then turned away from the desk and walked away.

* * *

Rick was at Rose's apartment for dinner and he was exhausted.

"I take it you can go well with the Council," said Rose as she sent the plates.

"The Council is in turmoil after the destruction of the Bahak systems," Rick sighed.

"I find it hard to believe that Commander Shepard would destroy an entire system just because he hates batarians," Rose frowned.

"He's really hate, he just hates batarian slavers, pirates and terrorists," Rick explained. "They are the ones we have encountered with, but this will strengthen their resolve to take humans across the galaxy."

"So batarian will happen more often," said Rose looking slightly concerned.

"Yes, and we've already got our hands full dealing with the Collectors," Rick sighed. "Basically we will be able to sort anything out until we deal with the Collectors and the Council isn't willing to get their hands dirty."

"But they're attacking a Council species," Rose frowned.

Rick then sat down on the table. "Yes, but mostly attacks are happening in the Terminus System and there are still a lot of anti-human protesters around."

Rose sat down opposite him. "The galaxy has become more chaotic ever since the Battle the Citadel."

"And it's only going to get worse when the Reapers and the Council still doesn't believe in them," said Rick as he eat a piece of stake. "I'm telling you if they don't start to register the threat that coming we're not going to stand much of a chance."

Rose looked at him as they eat. "Let's forget politics from the moment and just enjoy each other's company."

Rick looked at her and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I just a lot on my plate."

"You've got a lot on your plate right now," said Rose gesturing to his place.

The two of them and spend the rest of the evening eating and talking to one another that that didn't involve politics.

Once they were done, Rick got to his feet.

"I better get back my ship," said Rick. "We'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

Rose looked at him. "You're leaving?"

"Anderson has order me need to start the evacuation of small colonies within the Terminus Systems," Rick explained. "Of course most of them won't believe me and refused to leave, but and declares that I'm much more cooperative and easy to trust anyone he's ever know, apart from John."

Rose smiled. "That I agree with, but you could stay here tonight."

Rick looked at her. "I don't know if I could."

Rose got to her feet and smiled at him seductively. "I think you could and I think you'll have much more here than on your ship."

Rick felt slightly hot and it is cheeks. "I—I, uh, what do you have in mind?"

Rose leaned in towards him. "I think you know what I have in mind."

Rick found that his body was moving on its own as his arms went around Rose's waist and the two of them kissed passionately.

Soon the two of them were naked in Rose's bedroom and Rick was placing her down on the bed. She was beautiful as his hands traced her hips and he inserted his dick into her causing her to gasp.

He began to move slowly so that she could adjust to his side and he tells her hand rubbing against his back. He slowly began to pick up the causing her to gasp passionately as her legs warped around him and forcing him to push in deeper. He gave her buttock a good squeeze as he nibbled at her neck moan in his ear. He felt her hands rubbing against his back as she forced him to push in deeper.

She then suddenly rolled over so that she was now on top and gave him a good view of her body. She placed her hands on his chest and she began to move her hips in time with his. It can automatically went to her breasts and he gave them a good squeeze causing her to moan in pleasure.

Rose then leaned in towards him and kissed him passionately and that hands began to fight for dominance, but despite her attempts he finally won. He then took this opportunity to roll over so that he was on top of her and began to push into her more rapidly causing her to moan loudly.

Rick didn't know how long he can keep up, but he then felt Rose's liquid unleashed against his dick and his abandoned opportunity to keep the momentum. Rose gasps indicated that she wanted him to move fast and he applied to the best of his ability.

Eventually he could not hold out any longer and came inside. He was now utterly exhausted and fell onto of Rose, who rubbed his back affectionately.

"You really need to test your endurance," she said.

Rick rolled over and looked at her. "They didn't train us to this order thing in the Academy," he pointed out.

Rose giggled. "I'd like to see that in the training programme."

Rick was about to move, but Rose grabbed his arm.

"Stay here, please," she begged.

Rick looked at her and saw the pleading look on her face, a look he couldn't ignore. The two of them then spent the rest of the night together under the sheets and he began to wonder what the future would hold them.


	33. Attack on the Collector Base

The Illusive Man was looking out to space on his space station when Shepard's hologram appeared.

He then turned and looked at him. "Shepard. I wish I had more information for you. I don't like you heading through a relay blind, but we don't have much choice."

Shepard nodded. "I'm not going alone; I've got some of the best working with me. If we stick together, we'll make it."

The Illusive Man smiled. "I knew we brought you back for a reason. I've never seen a better leader. Despite the dangers, it's a great opportunity. The first human to take a ship through… and survive."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to destroy the Collectors. Despite their attacks on humanity."

The Illusive Man nodded. "Understood. It's still impressive. I just want you to know I appreciate the risk that you're taking. Regardless of your opinion of Cerberus. Of me. You are… a valuable asset. To all of humanity. Be careful, Shepard."

Shepard's hologram then faded as the Illusive Man sat back down in his chair.

* * *

Shepard then made his way to the bridge and met up with Joker. They were coming close to the Omega 4 relay, it looked like the other relays, but it's mass effect core was a bright red instead of blue.

"Approaching Omega 4 relay," said Joker. "Everyone stand by."

"Let's make it happen," said Shepard.

Joker nodded and began to access the control.

"Reaper IFF activated," said EDI. "Signal acknowledge."

Jacob was in the life-support systems overlooking the drive core which flared up.

"Commander? The drive core just lit up like a Christmas tree!" said Jacob.

"Drive core electrically charged at critical levels," said EDI.

"Rerouting!" said Joker as he fumbled with the controls.

The Normandy then made its way towards the mass relay and then automatically entered into FTL. They were moving a lot faster than they normally would have in FTL which may the inertial dampener nonexistence.

"Brace for deceleration," EDI advised.

They soon exited from FTL and saw large-scale the debris heading their way.

"Oh, shit!" Joker yelled as he pulled the ship up to avoid collision. It took some manoeuvring but was able to get them out of most of the worst of the debris field. Joker sighed with relief. "Too close."

Joker then began to manoeuvre the Normandy through the debris field. As they did Shepard could see black holes in the distance and exploding suns at enlightened the whole place. I then noticed that the debris stretched for millions of miles and that some of them bore resemblance to ship.

"This must be all the ships that try to make it through the Omega 4 relay," said Joker. "Some look… ancient."

Shepard had no doubt that they belonged to other species that had since longed been destroyed by the Reapers.

"I have detected an energy signature near the edge of the accretion disk," said EDI.

Soon coming into view was an odd looking structure that looked as if it was made by the same materials of the Collector ship. Shepard knew instantly that this was the Collector base and he had a strong feeling that they weren't going to allow them to enter through the front door.

"Has to be the Collector base," said Shepard. He then looked down at Joker. "Take it in for a closer look. Nice and easy."

Joker then began to manoeuvre the Normandy closer towards the base, but then several large drones awakened and began to pursue.

"Careful, Jeff. We have company," said EDI.

"Taking evasive manoeuvres," said Jpker.

The drones then several energy beam at the Normandy, but Joker with a wooden manoeuvre normally out of their path. The drones then began to follow them relentlessly.

"Now they're just pissing me off!" Joker grumbled. "EDI—take these bastards out!"

The Normandy fired several beams at the drones destroying two of them, but two drones continue to fire at them. The drones then fired at the Normandy striking at the new armour plating.

"As long as the new plating holds," said Miranda as she joined Shepard on the bridge.

"They want another round?" said Joker. "Come on, girl, let give it to them."

The drones fired at the normally again causing it to shake. Shepard was thankful for the upgrade, because he doubted the old plating could have withstood the stray.

However the drones did not stop their pursuit and one of them charged straight at the Normandy. Its armour plating then separated and fired a sphere right into the cargo bay.

"Alert. Hull breach on the engineering deck," said EDI showing a hologram of the Normandy and where the breach was located.

"It's in the cargo hold!" said Joker.

"I'll take a team and deal with the intruder," said Shepard as he left the bridge. "You get the rest of them off our trail."

"Aye, aye, Commander," said Joker.

* * *

Shepard met up with Grunt, Tail and Zaeed in the cargo hold. When they got down there they found that they were facing against a large sphere that shot beams in all directions.

There were large holes within the hull of the Normandy. Fortunately, it feels were holding snowmaking have to worry about being sucked into the vacuum of space. They began to flank the sphere making it harder for it to fire at them and the tactic seemed to be working, but it's armour proved to be quite tough.

"We need some heavy weapons to take this thing down!" Zaeed yelled.

Fortunately, Shepard had just the thing and pulled out the Collector beam weapon that he acquired on Horizon. It began to cut through the armour of the drone. The drone kept on trying to stay by going straight through the hull and appearing on the other side.

It took some effort, but eventually they managed to cause enough damage to force the drone to escape.

"We're sitting ducks out here," said Joker over the comm. "I have to try and lose them in the debris field!"

* * *

On the bridge, Joker began to manoeuvre the Normandy in the debris field and the drones followed them. While the Normandy was able to manoeuvre around the debris, the drones weren't as lucky as they were crushed by the debris.

"Our kinetic barriers are not designed to survive impact with debris that size, Jeff," EDI warned.

"Then I guess it's a good thing we upgraded," said Joker. "We're going in."

Joker manoeuvred the Normandy into the debris field and Shepard and the others the ship shake as the debris stuck the ship. There was a large scraping sound as the debris scraped against the ship.

"Come on, find some room," Joker begged.

"Kinetic barriers at 40 percent," said EDI.

"Rebound non-critical power!" Joker yelled as he fumbled with the controls. "This is gonna hurt!"

Joker then skilfully began to manoeuvre the ship through the debris field, but even he was unable to avoid them wreckage as they struck the ship.

"Damage report!" Joker yelled.

"Kinetic barriers steady at 30 percent. No significant damage," said EDI.

"Take the helm, EDI," said Joker. "Keep it slow. See if we can avoid any more attention."

Then the drone that attack them before, somehow managed to manoeuvre itself around the debris field and reappeared underneath the Normandy. He then began to fire's beam at the cargo bay and created a hole large enough for it to enter.

"I have detected an enemy heading for the cargo hold," said EDI.

"That thing again," Joker groaned. "This one's up to Shepard."

* * *

Shepard and the others soon found themselves in battle with the drone yet again. They perform the same tactic as before and it was clear that the drone hadn't learned from their first encounter. Shepard kept on firing the beam weapon at it until it finally exploded. Fortunately, they were able to take cover before that happens.

"Son of a bitch but has stay dead this time," said Zaeed.

"Better back up here, Commander," said Joker over the comm.

"We're about to clear the debris field," said Miranda.

Shepard made it back onto the bridge just in time as they exited debris field. In front of them they saw the Collector base.

"There it is—the Collector base," said Miranda.

Shepard looked down at Joker. "See if you can find a place to land without drawing attention."

"Too late," said Joker as he looked over the scanners. "Looks like they're sending out an old friend to greet us."

Shepard then saw exiting from the space station was the Collector ship and he had a hunch that it was the same one that's been hounding him. Once it exited it began to turn towards them and straightaway it fired its energy weapon at them.

Fortunately, the new Normandy was a lot more agile than the old one and it avoided the beam altogether.

"Time to show them our new teeth," said Shepard. "Fire the main gun."

The new Thanix Cannon began to charge and fired a powerful beam straight towards the Collector ship. The beam struck the ship and suffered major damage to its hull.

"How do you like that, you sons-of-bitches?" Joker yelled enthusiastically.

"Get in close and finish them off," said Shepard.

"Everybody hold on—gonna be a wild ride!" Joker yelled.

The Collector ship fired beam at the Normandy once again, but the Normandy was just too fast for it. They then flew in closer towards the Collector ship until they were in a perfect attack position.

"Give 'em hell, girl!" Joker yelled slamming down on the controls.

The cannon fire once again and this time it went straight through the ship as if its shields were non-existent. The Collector ship then began to explode from within in a fiery way.

"Look out!" Miranda yelled.

It was too late, the Collector ship exploded sending a massive shock wave at the Normandy. The blast was so powerful that it knocked out of the Normandy's engine and the soon found themselves heading to a collision course with the Collector base.

"Mass effect field generated are offline!" Joker yelled as he tried to maintain control. "EDI—give me something!"

"Generators unresponsive. All hands brace for impact," said EDI.

The Normandy then collided with extended spike on the base and then promptly skidded across the metal uncontrollably. Shepard and Miranda were knocked off their feet as they skidded across the metal and eventually they came to a stop in a cargo bay.

Shepard pulled himself up with a massive headache and saw Miranda getting up shakenly. "Joker? You okay?" Shepard asked.

"Ungh… think I broke a rib. All of them," Joker moaned clutching his chest.

"Multiple core systems overloaded during the crash," said EDI. "Restoring operation will take time."

"We all knew this was likely a one-way trip," said Miranda folding her arms.

"Our primary objective is to destroy the station and stop the Collectors. At any cost," said Shepard firmly.

"Well then, we're off to a good start," said Joker. He looked up at Shepard. "What's next?"

"How long into the Collectors find this landing zone?" Shepard asked.

"I do not detect any internal security network," said EDI. "It is possible the Collectors did not expect anyone to reach the base."

"Well, if we're lucky, their external sensors were hit like we were," said Joker. "They might not know we're alive."

Shepard nodded and looked at Miranda. "Get everyone into the briefing room. We need to plan our attack plan."

"Right away, Commander," Miranda nodded.

* * *

A few minutes later everyone was gathered in the briefing room, minus Joker who was still trying to get the ship back to fighting shape. Everyone was preparing themselves for the attack making sure all their weapons were primed and ready.

They then looked at Shepard as he entered. "This is not how we planned the mission, but this is where we're at," he said as he leaned over the table. "We can't worry about whether the Normandy can get us home. We came to stop the Collectors, and that means coming up with a plan to take out this station. EDI, bring up your scans."

EDI then projected a holographic image and showed detailed schematics of the station.

"You should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the main control centre here," said EDI highlighting the control centre at the top of the base.

"That means going through the heart of the station. Right pass this massive energy signature," said Jacob activating his omni-tool and highlighted the central hub.

"That's the central chamber," said Shepard. "If our crew or any of the colonists are still alive, the Collectors are probably hiding them in there."

"Looks like there are two main routes," said Jacob highlighting the two passageways. He then had the icons follow the path he was about to recommend. "Might be a good idea to split up to keep the Collectors off balance, then regroup in the central chamber."

Miranda shook her head. "No good. Both routes are blocked. See these doors?" She pointed the two doors in the passageways that led to the central chamber. "The only way past is to get someone to open them from the other side."

Shepard looked at the hologram closely. "It's not a fortress; there's got to be something." He then saw a ventilation shaft running through the middle of the two passageways and into the central chamber. "Here, maybe we can send someone in to this ventilation shaft."

"Practically a suicide mission," said Jacob folding his arms. "I volunteer."

Miranda shook her head. "I appreciate the thought, Jacob, but you couldn't shut down the security systems in time. We need to send a tech expert."

Jacob looked at Shepard. "It's your call, Commander. Who do we send into the shaft?"

Shepard knew there was only a struggle for people could hack into the system they were himself, Tail, Kasumi and Legion. He would be unable to enter into the ventilation shaft because he was needed was leading one of the groups. Also there was no telling what to expect in the ventilation shaft meaning that he should send someone well armoured.

Shepard looked at Legion. "Legion—you can hack through anything. I'm sending you into the shaft."

Legion nodded. "Acknowledged."

"The rest of us will break into two teams and fight down each passage," Shepard continued. "That should draw the Collectors' attention away from what you're doing."

"I'll lead the second fire team, Shepard," said Miranda. "We'll meet up with you on the other side of the doors."

"Not so fast, Cheerleader," Jack glared. "Nobody wants to take orders from you."

"This isn't a popularity contest!" Miranda glared back. She then looked at Shepard. "Shepard—you need someone who can command the loyalty through experience."

Shepard agreed which gave him three choices, Garrus, Miranda and Jacob. At this point of the mission it was best to assign someone which the others could trust.

Shepard looked at Garrus. "Garrus—you're in charge of the second team."

Garrus nodded.

Miranda looked disappointed. "Well, at least he knows what he's doing."

Shepard then looked at them all with an honest look. "I don't know what we're going to find in there, but I won't lie to you. It's not going to be easy. We've lost good people. We may lose more." Shepard then placed his hands behind his back. "We don't know how many the Collectors have stolen—thousands hundreds of thousands. It's not important. What matters is this: Not one more. That's what we can do, here, today. It ends with us. They want to know what you're made of? I say we show them, on our terms. Let's bring our people home."

* * *

They then split into two teams, Shepard's team contained, Miranda, Grunt, Mordin, Thane and Kasumi while Garrus contained the others. They soon exited from the Normandy jumping out the airlock and landing on the ground.

Shepard can now definitely see that the Normandy was badly damaged, but he was thankful that there was air in the base though why he did not know. They soon took their separate ways through the passageway while Legion entered into the ventilation shaft.

Shepard led his team into the passageway and for the moment they didn't encounter any resistance.

"We are in position," said Legion over the radio. "External temperature slightly elevated. No obstacles detected."

"Second team—are you in position?" Shepard asked.

"In position. Meet you on the other side of those doors," said Garrus' voice.

They made their way through the corridor and soon entered into a chamber and at once encountered the Collectors. It was now clear they did not have the element of surprise on the and as they traded fire with them.

"Shepard! Reinforcements!" Mordin yelled.

Husk began to appear and crawled their way towards them, but they clearly had them outmatched as Shepard and his team mowed them down. However, Collector troopers began to fly down to the platforms and fire at them.

Shepard pulled out his sniper rifle and began to pick them off one by one while Miranda led the fire team. Grunt on the other hand just charge at them like a living tank knocking him backwards. Both Thane and Kasumi had disappeared and reappeared behind the Collectors taking them out from behind.

Once they clear the path they began to proceed down towards the passageway Legion trapped in the ventilation shaft. The door was closed and what was worse the temperature inside the shaft was increasing.

"Pathing failure," said Legion. "There is an obstruction in the tunnel."

"Can see a value near a ventilation shaft," said Mordin. "Should open the gate!"

Shepard then opened up the value which unlock the gate and allowed Legion to proceed.

"Obstruction removed. Proceeding," said Legion.

"Garrus here," said Garrus' voice over the radio. "We're taking heavy fire, but were moving forward."

Unfortunately there were more values that needed to be unlocked for Legion to proceed and the Collectors were determined to prevent them from proceeding forwards. Harbinger was also possessing the Collectors making them a lot more efficient.

"We're in position," said Garrus. "Just waiting for the doors to open."

Eventually there was only one valve remaining and the moment they unlocked it Legion entered into the chamber opposite the door. However, they were now trapped as collectors began to swarm towards them.

"Come in!" Shepard yelled as he tried to pry the door open.

Inside Legion had just opened the door to allow Garrus and his team to enter.

"Look out. Seeker swarms!" Garrus yelled.

Garrus and his team began to press down suppression fire to prevent anyone from entering the chamber while Legion attempts to close the door.

"We're in position," said Shepard. "We need this door open now!"

Garrus looked at Legion was still trying to get the door closed. "Go, we'll cover you!"

Legion moved to the other door and began to hack into the system. "The door has malfunctioned. Path blocked," he said.

Shepard doubted they could hold of the Collectors much longer as a rocket sored past him. Then suddenly the doors opened and they quickly entered into the central chamber as Shepard continue to fire the Collectors.

"Complete," said Legion.

"Here they come!" Shepard yelled as he entered into the chamber. "Fall back!"

Tali had managed to hack into the door control and sealed the one that she and the others had entered. Garrus then lead them to back Shepard and his group.

"Suppressing fire! Don't let anyone through that door!" Garrus yelled.

With a combined firepower they were able to eliminate the last of the Collectors just as Legion finished closing the door.

"Nice work, Legion," said Shepard looking down at the geth. "I knew I could count on you."

"Shepard! You need to see this!" said Miranda.

* * *

Miranda was standing inside the central chamber and soon Shepard and the others joined. The chamber reminded Shepard of the Collector ship, but there had to be trillions of pods and they appear to be linked by several tubes that correlated into the middle of the chamber.

Shepard then noticed that one of the pods had someone inside. It was a woman and judging by her clothes she had to be a colonists.

"Looks like one of the missing colonists," said Miranda.

Shepard approached the pod and wiped the glass to clear the steam. It appeared that she was unconscious, but she seemed to be fidgeting slightly as some sort of steam entered into the pod.

"There's more. Over here," said Zaeed.

Shepard turned and saw more pods that contained the crew and they appear to be all unconscious.

He then turned his eyes back onto the woman and they raised in horror. She had woken up and the team appear to be liquefying her body.

"My god! She's still alive!" Shepard yelled.

The woman slammed against the glass as she liquefied and Shepard tried to open it, but too late. She turned into ooze and was sucked in by some sort of tube inside the pod.

Shepard then turned to the pods they contain his crew and saw that they were starting to liquefy as well.

"Get them out of there! Hurry!" Shepard yelled.

At once he and the other crew members began to do everything they could to free the crew. One by one they managed to free them, before they were completely liquefied. Shepard helped Miranda free Dr. Chakwas and helped her out of the pod.

"Doctor Chakwas? Are you okay?" Shepard asked as he placed her down onto the floor gently.

Dr. Chakwas shock her head and looked up at Shepard in bewilderment. "Shepard?" she stared. "You… you came for us."

Shepard helped her up. "No one gets left behind."

"Thank god you got him in time," said Kelly shakenly. "A few more seconds and… I don't even want to think about it."

"The colonists were… processed," said Dr. Chakwas looking up at the tubes. "Those swarms of little robots, they—melted their bodies into grey liquid and pumped it through these tubes."

Shepard clenched his fists. "Whatever the Collectors are doing, it ends here!"

"We've done well so far," said Miranda. "Let's hope we can finish the job."

Shepard then reached for his radio. "Joker? Can you get a fix on our position?"

"Roger that, Commander," said Joker. "All those tubes leading to the main control room right above you. The route is blocked by a security door, but there is another chamber that runs parallel to the one you're in."

"I cannot recommend that," said EDI. "Thermal emissions suggest the chamber is overrun with seeker swarms. Mordin's countermeasure cannot protect you against so many at once."

Then they need another way to shield themselves. He looked to Samara. "What about biotics?" he asked. "Could we create a biotic field to keep them from getting near us?"

"Yes… I think it may be possible," Samara nodded. "I wouldn't be able to protect everyone, but we might be able to get a small team through if they stayed close."

"I could do it, too," said Miranda. "In theory, any biotic could handle it." She then looked at Shepard. "Shepard, who do you want to maintain the field?"

Shepard knew that there were only three choices that were strong enough to produce such a field Miranda, Jack or Samara. While he was confident in Miranda and Jack's abilities, he needed someone far more experience to maintain the shield.

"Samara and I will take a small team through the seeker swarms," said Shepard. He then looked at the others. "The rest of you will provide a diversion by going through the main passage. We'll open the security doors from the other side meet you there."

"Who should lead the diversion team?" Miranda asked.

Shepard needed someone in charge would do what needs to be done. "That would be you, Miranda."

Miranda nodded. "I'll keep the defenders busy while you slip in the back."

"What about me and the rest of the crew, Shepard?" Dr. Chakwas asked. "We're in no shape to fight."

Shepard had to agree some of them were still very worn out from almost being liquidated.

"Commander? We have enough systems back online to pick up, but we'd need to land back from your position," said Joker.

"We can't afford to go back, Shepard," said Miranda. "Not now."

Shepard nodded, but he could let them fend for themselves. "You'll never make it help. I'll send someone with you." Shepard had to choose someone who could heal their injuries and fight their way through Collectors. "Mordin, you'll accompany them."

Mordin nodded and activated his omni-tool. "Joker, need location of landing zone. Will meet you there."

Shepard looked at the others. "We've all got our assignments. Let's move out!"

* * *

Soon Shepard along with Jack and Thane accompanied Samara into the passageway. Samara at once created a biotic field that surrounded them and slowly began to move into the passageway.

"Move out," she said. "Try to stay close, Commander."

They followed Samara making sure to keep on her force field as the entered into the chamber. The place was completely dark and dank also Shepard could see the seeker swarms swarming around them. If it hadn't been for Samara's force field they would have already been taken out.

Shepard then got a message from Miranda, but there was a lot of static and he could make out the message. "Miranda—Team is in position and—Shep…"

"Damn," Shepard cursed. "The swarms are interfering with radio contact." He then looked at Samara. "Be ready for this?"

Samara nodded and turned down towards the passageway. "Let's go, Commander."

For moment Shepard believed that they were going to face any resistance, but the Collectors came flying in out of nowhere.

"Incoming!" Samara yelled.

"I will direct this personally," said Harbinger's voice as he took control of one of the Collectors.

However, before they got the chance to shoot them they flew down towards the platforms in the centre of the chamber. No doubt to catch them as they turn round the corner.

They came under the passageway and at once the Collectors fired at them.

"I can't hide from this position," said Samara as she hung back to keep the barrier up. "Tell me when you're ready to move."

Shepard nodded and he, Thane and Jack began to shoot at the Collectors. The possessed Collector began to fire powerful biotic straight at them, but they were no match for Jack's as she sent a shockwave that sent it flying. Thane and Shepard kept suppression fire on the remaining troops and one by one they fell.

"All clear!" said Samara as the last Collector fell. She then began to move down the passageway.

They kept on moving until this platform landing on the opposite end of the bridge and seconds later abominations and husks crawled over the edge and headed straight towards them.

Shepard and the others began to suppress fire down on them as Samara continue to shield them. Then more Collectors appeared led by a possessed one.

"Hostile fire!" Samara yelled as she stopped behind cover. "Taking cover—let me know when you're ready to move."

The Collectors were certainly determined to prevent them from progressing and Shepard knew that time was against them. Samara might be a powerful biotic with centuries of training, but even she had limits and holding this barrier was taken a lot out of her.

Jack's biotics certainly help by pushing the Collectors back and Thane was only a precise shots with a pistol and Shepard was the same with his sniper rifle. It took some doing but they finally managed to bring down the Collectors that blocked their path.

"Let's go," said Samara once the coast was clear.

They didn't go very far until they were attacked once again by abominations and husks. Fortunately destroying the abominations called explosion that took out the husks and Jack was now getting a thrill with throwing husks all over the place so it in take them much time to clear them out.

However, this time there was a scion which was a much tougher customer. Shepard continued to knock it off balance while Thane fired some precise shots to take down.

They continued to move, but Samara was starting to look exhausted.

"I will hold on… as long… as I can," Samara panted. Fortunately, the entrance was not too far away as they made their way towards the bridge. "I can see the entrance. Need to… get there… soon."

Shepard and the others kept on shooting at the Collectors began to swarm towards them.

"Hold on. We're almost there," said Shepard to Samara.

They were just a few feet away from the entrance, but Samara was beginning to waver and more Collectors appeared.

"Shepard, we need to get out of here," said Jack.

"All right, let's move," said Shepard. There were almost to the entrance and the Collectors were coming towards them fewer and fewer. "They're pushing. Keep it up!"

"Hurry, Shepard," said Samara exhaustively.

They just cross the threshold and the door opened. Once they were in the clear Samara turned towards the Collectors she then unleashed a biotic power and pushed both the Collectors and the seeker swarms back into the chamber.

They soon made their way to the door while Shepard kept on the firing and Samara closed the door behind.

"…repeat, Shepard, do you copy?" said Miranda's voice.

"I copy. What's your position?" Shepard asked.

"We're at the door. They've got us pinned down!"

They soon rushed towards the other door.

"We're coming; just hold on!" Shepard looked at Samara. "Guess this door open!"

The door opened and at once they saw Miranda and her team exiting the passageway opposite. The Collectors were there in force and were shooting like crazy.

"Come on!" Shepard yelled as he and the others assisted them with their suppression fire. Shepard then looked back at Samara. "Seal the door!"

Once the door was sealed Miranda toppled over clutching her chest, it appeared that she had been injured.

Shepard rushed over to, but he simply shrugged it off. "I'm ready for action, Commander."

Shepard nodded and reached for his radio. "Joker? Are you at the rendezvous point?"

"I'm here, Commander," said Joker's voice. "Chakwas and the rest of the crew just showed up."

"Mordin's group just arrived, Shepard. No casualties," said EDI.

"Excellent," said Miranda. "Now let's make it count. EDI, what's are next step?"

"There should be a nearby platform that will take you to the main control console," said EDI. "From there you can overload the system and destroy the base."

"Commander? You got a problem," said Joker. "Hostiles massing just outside the door. Won't be long until they bust through."

Shepard then looked at himself onto the platform and looked at the others. "A rearguard could defend this position and keep the Collectors from overwhelming us."

"Pick a team to go with you, Shepard," said Miranda. "Everyone else can bunker down here and cover your back."

Shepard really want to go in there with a full force, but the last people they guarded this position the more chances the Collectors would overwhelm. Shepard needed people with both technical skills and who can adapt to any situation.

"Miranda, Tali, you're with me," said Shepard.

The two women nodded and climbed onto the platform.

"I'm ready, Commander," said Miranda.

"So am I," Tali added.

"Anything to say before we do this?" Miranda asked.

Shepard looked at all of them. "The Collectors and the Reapers—they aren't a threat to us. They're a threat to everything—everyone. Those are the lives we're fighting for. That's the scale." He began to pace up and down as everyone looked at him. "It's been a long journey, and no one's coming out without scars. But it all comes down to this moment. We win or lose it all in the next few minutes. Make me proud. Make yourselves proud."

"Well said," Miranda nodded. "Let's go finish this."

* * *

The platform then began to move and they found themselves floating towards the passageway that into deep within the base. They did get very far when another platform appeared full of Collectors.

Shepard doubted that any of them would allow them to enter the control centre, but together they fought off the Collectors as a united team. More and more platforms began to appear and more and more Collectors were killed as they pressed on.

They were soon blockaded by Collectors and leading them was a possessed Collector. The possessed Collector used his powerful biotic to pull them off, branded biotics were more impressive sending it flying off the platform. Tali's drone distracted the others while Shepard took them out with a sniper rifle.

The last platform that landed contained abominations and scions. Shepard took aim at the abominations causing them to explode doing massive damage to the scions and Tali and Miranda finish them off.

With the last of them gone Shepard access the platform and used it to carry on down towards the control centre.

"This is it," said Shepard as they put it down the passageway. "All the tubes lead to this spot. EDI, what can you tell us? What are they doing?"

"The tubes are feeding into some kind of super-structure," said EDI. "It is omitting both organic and non-organic energy signatures. Giving these readings, it must be massive." They soon entered into the control centre and Shepard's eyes widened in horror. "Shepard. If my calculations are correct, the superstructure… is a Reaper."

"Not just any Reaper—a human Reaper," said Shepard in disgust.

They were floating towards a giant mechanical skeleton that looked half complete. Shepard could tell that the components were made from the attack and were attached to its forearms no doubt been fed with the organic material from the prisoners.

"Precisely," said EDI.

The platform landed and connected to the central control system and suddenly the tubes opened up to reveal an orange like substance being pumped into it.

"It appears the Collectors have processed tens of thousands of humans," said EDI. "Significantly more will be required to complete the Reaper."

"How many more humans do you think they'd try to take?" Shepard asked.

"Millions. Perhaps more. Impossible to know for certain." It is certainly explained why the Collectors were planning to attack Earth. "This Reaper appears to be in a very early stage of development. An embryo in human terms."

"So it's not alive yet? We can still stop it from being… created?" Shepard asked.

"The process can be stopped, but it is unclear exactly how much it has developed. I cannot, for example, tell you if it has awareness."

Shepard frowned. "They're building it to look like a human. Why?"

"It appears that the Reaper's shape is based upon the species used to create it."

"Reapers are machines—why do they need humans at all?"

"Incorrect. Reapers are sapient constructs. A hybrid of organic and inorganic material. The exact construction methods are unclear, but it seems probable that the Reapers absorb the essence of a species; utilising it in their reproduction process."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "This thing is an abomination. EDI, how do we destroy it?"

"The large tubes injecting the fluid are a weak structural link," EDI analysed as the injection tubes closed. "Destroying them should cause the supports to collapse and the Reaper to fall."

Shepard then noticed several platforms heading towards them. "Give us a minute, EDI. We got to take care of some old friends first."

The Collectors that were led by Harbinger, who yet again possessed another Collector began to attack the moment they connected to the platform. They were soon followed by several more and soon a firefight broke out between.

Soon the injection tubes opened up again.

"Shoot the injection tubes!" Miranda yelled.

They soon began to fire at the injection tubes destroying one, but they closed up yet again. They then were attacked by more Collectors and the process repeated itself again and again. However when Shepard shot the last of the injection to the human Reaper's support broke and they watched as it fell to the ground below.

"Shepard ground team. Status report," said Shepard reaching for his radio.

"It's Thane," said Thane's voice. "We are holding, but they keep coming. A quick exit is preferable."

"Head to the Normandy," Shepard ordered. "Joker—prep the engines. I'm about overload this place and below it sky high."

"Roger that, Commander," said Joker as Shepard began to access the control system on the platform. "Uh, Commander? I've got an incoming message from the Illusive Man. EDI's patching it through."

Miranda then accessed her omni-tool and a hologram of the Illusive Man appeared.

"Shepard. You've done the impossible," he said impressively.

"I still have to destroy the base," said Shepard.

"Not necessarily. I have a better option. I'm looking at the schematics EDI uploaded. A timed pulse would kill the remaining Collectors, but leave the machinery and technology interact. This is our chance Shepard. They were building a Reaper. That knowledge—that framework—could save us."

Shepard stop what he was doing and turned to face the Illusive Man. "They liquefy people. Turned them into something horrible. We have to destroy the base."

"Don't be short-sighted," said the Illusive Man narrowing his eyes. "Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their resources against them."

"I'm not so sure," Miranda frowned. "Seeing it first-hand… using anything new from this place seems like a betrayal."

Illusive Man looked at her. "If we ignore this opportunity, that would be a betrayal." He then looked back at Shepard. "They are working directly with the Collectors. Who knows what information is buried there? This place is a gift. We can't destroy it."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You're completely ruthless. The next thing I know, you'll be wanting to grow your own Reaper."

"My goal is to save humanity from the Reapers. At any cost," said the Illusive Man firmly. "I've never hidden that from you. Imagine how many lives could be saved if we keep this base intact and use its knowledge to thwart the Reapers. Imagine the lives that will be lost if we don't."

Shepard had seen people being indoctrinated while trying to examine Reaper tech. Kenson nearly allow the Reaper invasion to begin, because she examined a Reaper artefact. The security risk was far too great and he didn't trust Cerberus with it.

"No matter what kind of technology we might find, it's not worth it," said Shepard.

"Shepard. You died fighting for what you believed. I brought you back so you could keep fighting. Some would say what we did to you was going too far. But look what you've accomplished. I didn't discard you because I knew your value. Don't be so quick to disregard this facility. Think of the potential."

Shepard shook his head as he turned back to the control system. "We'll fight and win without it. I won't let fear compromise who I am."

The Illusive Man looked back at Miranda. "Miranda—do not let Shepard destroy the base!"

For one moment Shepard was afraid that she would follow his orders, but instead she shook her head. "For what? You'll replace me next?"

The Illusive Man narrowed his eyes at her. "I gave you an order, Miranda!"

"I noticed. Consider this my resignation."

Furiously the Illusive Man turned to Shepard. "Shepard. Think about what's at stake. About everything Cerberus has done for you. You—"

Miranda then cut off the transmission and handed him a charge. Shepard nodded and placed it in the control system, pressed a few buttons and lowered the control system back into the platform.

"Let's move," he said. "We've got ten minutes before the reactor overloads and bellows this whole station apart."

The moment the control system lower back into the platform the entire platform began to shake and they turned to discover the human Reaper's hand grasping the platform and seconds later the Reaper pulled itself back onto the platform.

It was now clear to everyone that the thing was indeed alive and judging by the way was looking at them very angry. A powerful cannon shot out from its mouth, but fortunately they were able to duck for cover before it slammed into them.

Fortunately the construction was not yet complete and it showed several weak points, especially in its eyes. Shepard use this as his opportunity to use the Collector beam weapon and began cutting his way into them. Tali and Miranda soon joined him and diverted its attention away from him.

It wasn't easy, but finally their combined power managed to topple the incomplete Reaper. Unfortunately it toppled onto the platform and Tali was sliding down towards the Reaper as the platform rose due to its weight.

Shepard was also sliding down towards her and out stretched his hand to grab her. Tali fell off the edge, but Shepard was able to grab her and stop insulting sliding at the same time. He pulled her back onto the platform just as the Reaper exploded.

The explosion took out the platforms and Shepard and Tali found themselves rolling down the other end of the platform they were on. Miranda was barely able to keep herself upright and all the other platforms were out of control. Shepard looked up just in time to see a platform heading straight towards them and everything went black.

* * *

When Shepard came to he found that he was pinned down by a girder and that the platform had collided with the passageway. Shepard pulled himself up and lifted the girder off, he had no idea how long he had been out and no idea how long until the base was destroyed.

He then saw Miranda laying motionlessly on the floor and quickly rushed towards her, fearing the worst. However she began to move and he helped her up and saw that Tali was pinned by a girder. He managed to lifted off and saw that Tali was very much alive and helped her up.

"Do you copy? Commander?" said Joker's voice worriedly on the radio. "Come on, Shepard, don't leave me hanging. Do you copy?"

Shepard reached for his radio. "I'm here, Joker. Did the ground team make it?"

"All survivors on board," said Joker relieved. "We're just waiting on you."

Shepard then saw seeker swarm and quickly he, Miranda and Tail ran down the passageway hoping that he connected to the Normandy.

"Human, you've changed nothing," said Harbinger's voice as Shepard fired his pistol at the seeker swarm. "Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction."

Shepard really didn't listen to him as Collectors appear out of nowhere shooting at them. They soon entered into the central chamber and saw the Normandy rising. The airlock opened and Joker merged holding a rightful providing them with cover fire.

The entire place was falling apart as platforms and girders fell from the ceiling, but despite this they kept on moving. Miranda and Tali jumped onto the Normandy, but then a large girder fell from the ceiling and destroyed the platform that connected the control centre to the Normandy.

Shepard, however, did not hesitate and running as fast as he could he jumped and managed to grab hold of the edge of the airlock. Joker provided cover fire as the Collectors started to shoot at Shepard and Tali helped him up into the airlock.

Once he was aboard the airlock door shut and EDI guided the Normandy out of the central chamber. They just exit the airlock and was approaching the bridge as EDI counted down.

"Definition in ten, nine, eight—"

Joker tossed the rife aside and sat down in his chair. "Yeah, I got the gist of it, EDI! Hold on!"

They then flew out of the Collector base as quickly as they could and only small explosions were erupting on its hull and they began to intensify practically covering the space station.

Inside the Collector general was making his way to the command centre will holographic image of a Reaper looked over him. Unlike the normal Reapers, this one only had four tentacles and he looked down upon the Collector general with multiple glowing eyes.

"You have failed," hesaid angrily. "We will find another way. Releasing control."

The Collector general eyes and returned to normal and he slowly turned his head. He then saw massive explosion heading straight towards him and consumed him.

Outside the Collector base exploded in a beautiful burst of flames and it kept on growing in size. The Normandy flew as far as it could pass the debris field and it was free of the debris field it jumped into FTL before the explosion consumed.

* * *

Once they were back in friendly space, Shepard made his way to the briefing room. The Normandy had taken a real toll during the battle, he had to move her metal good out of the way just entered the briefing room.

The hologram system was still working and he soon came face-to-face with the Illusive Man, who was sitting down in his chair and didn't look best pleased.

"Shepard," he said as he brushed the ash of his cigarette. "You're making a habit of costing me more than time and money."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "Too many lives were lost at that base. I'm not sorry it's gone."

"The first of many lives. The technology from that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy. Against the Reapers and beyond."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Human dominance, or just Cerberus?"

The Illusive Man got to his feet "Strength for Cerberus's string for every human. Cerberus is humanity. I should have known you'd choke on the hard decisions. Too idealistic from the start."

Shepard glared at him. "I know what you are, and the price of dealing with you. We do things my way from now on. Harbinger is coming. And he won't be alone. I'm going to make sure we're ready when they get here. You can fall in line for step aside, but don't get in my way."

The Illusive Man marched up towards him. "You sure that's what you want? You're taking a hell of a risk, Shepard."

Shepard glared at him with a confident look. "I don't think so. I'm going to stop the Reapers, but I won't sacrifice the soul of our species to do it."

Shepard then walked out of the hologram in the Illusive Man sat down in his chair. He then looked towards the sun as he began to plan his next move.

* * *

The ship was badly damaged, but other than that there was no casualties. The entire crew was great for that Shepard appeared when he did and his companions agreed that destroying the base was the right idea.

"So, how did it go with the boss?" Joker asked.

"I've cut ties with him, we're on our own," said Shepard.

Joker then looked at him troublingly. "I just got a message from the Alliance asking you to return to Earth."

Shepard expected as much, but he was grateful that Hackett was able to hold them off when he did.

"We'll drop anyone who wants to leave that the Citadel and they can make their own way home from there," said Shepard.

"I'm staying with you, Commander," said Joker.

"I appreciate it, Joker," said Shepard. "Though I don't have any proof of the Reapers."

"Fortunately, EDI was able to upload a massive portion of data from the Collector base," said Joker holding out a data which showed an image of a Reaper or more precisely Harbinger. "Everything they had about the Reapers is on here."

"Let's just hope they listen," said Shepard as he looked through a hull breach into the depths of space.

He knew that the Reapers were coming and when they get here they would show no mercy. He might have bought the galaxy some time, but time was running out and he needed to get the entire galaxy prepared for war.


End file.
